How to Apply for a Debt Relief Order: Intermediary, Forms, Decision

To apply for a Debt Relief Order in England and Wales (or Northern Ireland, under its separate scheme), you work with an approved intermediary — a trained debt adviser authorised to submit DRO applications on your behalf. You cannot apply directly yourself. The intermediary checks whether you qualify, helps you gather your financial information, and files the application electronically with the Insolvency Service. The whole process is free.1GOV.UK. How to Get a Debt Relief Order2Department for the Economy. Debt Relief Orders Scotland has its own debt solutions and does not offer DROs.

Check You Qualify Before You Start

A DRO is only available if you meet every one of these thresholds at the point your intermediary submits the application:

Homeowners rarely qualify. Property is valued at its gross market price with nothing deducted for a mortgage, so unless the home would realistically sell for under £2,000, it pushes you over the asset limit.

Most everyday debts count toward the £50,000: credit cards, personal loans, overdrafts, rent arrears, and overdue utility bills.1GOV.UK. How to Get a Debt Relief Order Certain debts are excluded and cannot be written off through a DRO — criminal fines, student loans, child support and maintenance, confiscation orders, Social Fund loans, and court-ordered damages for personal injury. Excluded debts don’t count toward the £50,000 cap, but they still need to be listed on the application and flagged as excluded. Any monthly payments you make toward them are treated as an allowable expense when your surplus income is calculated.5GOV.UK. Debt Relief Orders – Guidance for Debt Advisers

Find an Approved Intermediary

The Insolvency Act requires every DRO application to go through an approved intermediary — a debt adviser specifically authorised to access the Insolvency Service’s online filing system.6legislation.gov.uk. Insolvency Act 1986 – Section 251B There is no form you can download and send in yourself.

Most local Citizens Advice offices have a DRO adviser on staff. You can also phone the Citizens Advice debt helpline, which will refer you to one if you’re eligible. StepChange and other debt charities approved as “competent authorities” also operate approved intermediaries, and GOV.UK publishes the full list.7Citizens Advice. How to Get a Debt Relief Order You will not be charged. The £90 application fee that used to apply was abolished on 6 April 2024.3GOV.UK. Changes to Debt Relief Orders Will Support People in Financial Distress

What to Bring to the Appointment

Your intermediary will go through the application with you across one or more appointments. The more you can bring on the first visit, the quicker the process goes. Missing information is the most common reason for delay.

Personal Details

You’ll need your full name, date of birth, current address, and National Insurance number. Your NI number appears on payslips, tax returns, and benefit letters, or you can get it from HMRC. You also need to be able to show a three-year residence history to confirm you meet the jurisdictional requirement.

A Full List of Your Debts

Every debt must be listed individually with the creditor’s name, account number, and exact balance at the date of application. The Insolvency Act requires this level of detail.4legislation.gov.uk. Insolvency Act 1986 – Part 7A Gather recent statements for every credit card, loan, overdraft, and utility account. List any excluded debts too, and mark them as excluded.

Income and Expenses

Disclose every source of income: wages, pensions, benefits, and any other regular payment. Your intermediary will then work through your essential monthly costs using a standard financial statement as a starting point, though no savings allowance is included for DRO purposes.5GOV.UK. Debt Relief Orders – Guidance for Debt Advisers The application has specific fields for housing, food and housekeeping, energy and water, travel, and communications. Whatever is left after allowable expenses is your surplus, and it must be £75 or less.

Everything You Own

List all your possessions of value: electronics, jewellery, savings, and any other property. Each goes in at its current resale value, not what you paid. If you have a car or van, include the registration and a realistic current valuation — a free online valuation tool or a dealer quote is normally enough. A vehicle worth under £4,000 sits outside the general asset total; anything above that disqualifies you entirely.

Submission and the Declaration You Sign

The intermediary enters your information into the Insolvency Service’s secure online portal. There is no paper form. Before submitting, they cross-check your figures against the evidence you’ve provided and certify that they’ve reviewed the information and believe it to be accurate.8GOV.UK. DRO Guidance for Approved Intermediaries

You then agree to a declaration that everything in the application is true and complete. Take this seriously. The Official Receiver can refuse or later revoke a DRO if false or misleading information comes to light, and deliberately providing false data is an offence under the Insolvency Act.4legislation.gov.uk. Insolvency Act 1986 – Part 7A Once you’ve signed off, the intermediary transmits the application to the Official Receiver.

How Long the Decision Takes

Applications are assessed within two working days by a centralised DRO team based in Plymouth. Most orders are made on the same day the team picks up the file.9GOV.UK. Technical Guidance for Official Receivers – 60 Debt Relief Orders If approved, you’ll get confirmation of the order and the date the moratorium starts. The Insolvency Service adds your details to the Individual Insolvency Register, and your creditors are notified that they cannot pursue the listed debts without court permission.1GOV.UK. How to Get a Debt Relief Order

If Your Application Is Refused

The Official Receiver can refuse an application, most often because you don’t meet the eligibility criteria or because something looks incomplete or inaccurate. If you think the decision is wrong, ask the Official Receiver to reconsider first. Your adviser can help you write a letter explaining why, with supporting evidence attached. If the refusal stands after reconsideration, you have the right to ask the court to review it.10Citizens Advice. Debt Relief Order Application Refused

What You’re Agreeing To for the Next Twelve Months

A DRO comes with real restrictions during the twelve-month moratorium. Before you apply, know what you’re signing up for:

  • You cannot obtain credit of more than £500 without telling the lender about your DRO.
  • If you trade under a different name than the one on the Individual Insolvency Register, you must tell everyone you do business with about the DRO.
  • You are automatically disqualified from acting as a company director. Continuing to act as one without court permission is a criminal offence.
  • You cannot exercise the Right to Buy on a council property while the DRO is in force.
  • You cannot practise as a solicitor, insolvency practitioner, or estate agent, or hold certain licences (alcohol premises, gambling, public service vehicles).
  • You cannot act as a charity trustee or pension scheme trustee.

These restrictions end when the DRO period finishes, unless the Official Receiver applies for a Debt Relief Restrictions Order, which can extend restrictions by up to fifteen years in cases involving dishonesty or reckless behaviour. You also take on a continuing duty to tell the Official Receiver if your circumstances change during the twelve months — a rise in income, an inheritance, or anything you realise was wrong on the original application.11Citizens Advice. Your Circumstances Have Changed – Debt Relief Orders If you can live with those conditions and you meet the thresholds, contacting Citizens Advice or StepChange is the next step.