How to pay off your debt
How to off your debt
This video from Finder UK explains different types of debt and how to get out of debt.
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It’s fine talking about budgeting and planning, but what if you’re really struggling to meet essential payments? What if you’re in debt now, or if you need some money urgently?
Before you do something, you might regret, let us give you some information on what your options are.
It’s not just you – the average UK household debt was £60,720 in November 2020
Debt and loans can be good. Yes, you heard right, taking out a credit card or loan can be good. Often you can benefit from interest free periods or low interest rates. In the UK we have had until very recently a very low interest rate and borrowing to spread costs and pay back each month can be cheap money. The problem occurs when you keep borrowing or your income stops or reduces.
Having a good credit score is really important so read on to find out more.
Before you sign up for a credit card or expensive store card, it makes sense to think about whether you really need to borrow money.
DebtDrive is not only about getting out of debt but also about how to learn how to borrow wisely.
Click on a heading below and see a summary, and if you're interested you can GO and read more about it!
Here are some facts and stats about debt. GO!
It’s not only individuals and households who get into debt, countries do too. Find out more about world debt. GO!
UK households accrue debt for a number of reasons. See how much UK households owe and on what. GO!
See what you can do to avoid getting too far into debt. GO!
Not all debt is bad – sometimes a loan can help your financial position. GO!
This could be the key section – what can you do when things get tough and you find yourself in debt. GO!
See how important your credit score is to you and how you can improve it. GO!
When it all gets too much there’s always the option to declare yourself bankrupt. See what that means. GO!
If you’re a visitor to our site you can join and download information, assess your own health and create your own action plans, and even contribute to our site. GO!
See some ideas on next steps you can take. GO!
We have some additional information on this subject. GO!
per UK household in November 2020
Rise in UK financial vulnerability during the pandemic as far as Q1 2021. This was
driven by higher use of credit, increased dependence on benefits and increased use of alternative financial products. Lowell Vulnerability Index Oct 2021
who by Dec 2020 had borrowed more because of Coronavirus
Proportion of users of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) who are struggling to pay their bills (Citizens Advice). Citizens Advice has found that many shoppers do not view BNPL as “proper borrowing”
per UK adult in November 2020
Secured debt (mortgages) comprise 88.7% of total personal debt at the end of November 2021. Money Charity This is 108.6% of average earnings!
of all types in 2020
StepChange Debt Charity reports that 66% of 13,000 new clients who received full debt advice in November 2021
had credit card debt . The most common reasons for seeking debt advice were “lack of control over finances”,
reduced income or benefits, unemployment or redundancy and an injury or health issue.
You are not alone, people groups, governments and countries often get it wrong and go way over their heads in debt and then spend years trying to get out of debt. The key is to take charge!
Here we show some facts and figures you might find interesting about debts around the world.
According to Wikipedia. "In economics, the debt-to-GDP ratio is the ratio between a country's government debt (measured in units of currency) and its gross domestic product (GDP) (measured in units of currency per year). A low debt-to-GDP ratio indicates an economy that produces and sells goods and services is sufficient to pay back debts without incurring further debt.""
The chart on the right shows that (surprisingly for us) Japan has by far the highest debt-to-GDP ratio at 257%. The UK is shown in the 4th tier at 109%, and the US in the third tier at 133%
Click on any of the tabs on the right to see more information
Investopedia say:
The Economist have a world debt clock you can see here. This shows the changing amount of world debt.
You are not alone, people groups, governments and countries often get it wrong and go way over their heads in debt and then spend years trying to get out of debt. The key is to take charge!
The chart below shows the estimated change in debt-to-GDP ratios for many countries in %-age points.
External debt – when debt is within the country, it is known as internal debt. When a government borrows from foreign governments, foreign banks or institutions, international organizations like the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, etc., it is known as external debt.
Although the UK’s debt-to-GDP ratio is in the 4th tier, a lot of its debt is external, as you can see from the diagram below.
Brookings : “Starting in 2010, a new wave of debt accumulation—the “fourth wave” of debt—had been underway in emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs, Figure 1). With the sharp increase in debt during the COVID-19 pandemic, the fourth wave of debt has turned into a tsunami and become even more dangerous. The tsunami of debt has amplified the difficulty of resolving debt not just because of record debt levels but also because of significant changes in the structure of debt markets.”
In 2020, total global debt rose by 30 percentage points of GDP, to 263 percent of GDP—the largest single-year increase since at least 1970. This increase was broad-based, evident across government and private debt, domestic and external debt, and the majority of countries. In EMDEs, total debt went over 200 percent of GDP, and in advanced economies, total debt exceeded 300 percent of GDP in 2020
The chart on the left shows that the Office for Budget Responsibility expect unsecured debt to rise steadily as a share of household disposable income.
The Money Charity says: People in the UK owed £1,754.3 billion at the end of November 2021. This is up by £60.1 billion from £1,689.8 billion at the end of October 2020, an extra £1,136 per UK adult over the year. The average total debt per household, including mortgages, was £63,112. The inflation rate was 5.4% in the year to December 2021 and the increase in average first time buyer house prices was 9.1% in the year to November 2021.
See the tabs below for more information.
Click on any of the tabs on the right to see more information
There are two major types of debt: secured and unsecured. One is legally attached to and secured by an asset such as your property: A creditor can seize this asset then sell it if you default and stop paying on the loan. An unsecured creditor has less of a safety net.
If the sale of an asset a debt is secured against doesn’t match the debt, it’s possible that the lender can pursue you for the difference, based on the contract.
Lenders of unsecured debts do not have rights to any collateral. They generally cannot claim your assets for repayment of the debt if you fall behind on your payments unless they sue you and get a judgment against you in court.
You might give more priority to unsecured debts if you’re making extra payments to pay off some debt, as unsecured debts often have higher interest rates.
It’s important to know the difference when you’re borrowing money and prioritizing debt repayment.
Secured debts make up nearly 89% of all personal debt (Money Charity).
Mortgages and car loans are both examples of secured debts. Your loan is secured by your home or your vehicle. The lender can foreclose or repossess the property or vehicle if you fail to make these loan payments.
The average outstanding mortgage debt for the 11.04 million households with mortgage debt was £140,987 in November 2021.
According to UK Finance, in December 2019 (latest publicly available data), the mortgage as percentage of house value was on average 77.0% for first-time buyers, 67.6% for home movers and 58.8% for re-mortgagors, slightly higher than the previous year.
Statista show the average amounts of unsecured personal debt that people seeking financial advice from the debt charity StepChange faced in the year 2019. The graph shows the average amount owed by clients who had a particular type of debt in the United Kingdom (UK).
According to the Office for Budgetary Responsibility in their Household saving and debt report in November 2nd, 2018, credit card debt accounts for just over 10 per cent of total unsecured debt and has remained relatively stable as share of household income.
However, in the Money Charity’s report in January 2022 people in the UK had credit card debt of £58.9m (£22,118 per household) whereas unsecured consumer debt was £197.8 million (£7,117 per household) – nearly 30%.
In the year to November 2021 outstanding levels of credit card borrowing fell by 0.53%. The largest reductions occurred from August 2020 to March 2021. Since April 2021, outstanding consumer credit has fallen slightly, with variations from month to month.
Debt has the potential to work against your financial health, but not all debt is bad. If you take on debt for a worthwhile purpose, and if you can pay it off and payments are within your budget, debt can strengthen your credit and achieve your goals.
However, debt can also ruin your financial life and cause untold stress if not managed properly. See the information below to see how best to avoid falling into the debt trap.
Click on any of the tabs on the right to see more information
There are a lot of things to think about before you borrow money.
If you do, then you need to work out the best way to borrow the money and how much it will cost you to repay it.
Experian have a 6 step plan to help you avoid wrong debt.
Buying a washing machine on interest free credit over 9 months can be a good deal (providing it is genuine) and you’re not over committing yourself.
You take out a debit card that is paid off each month and this gives you 30- or 60-days interest free period which can help with budgeting.
You can use a competitive PCP plan rather than take out all your cash savings to buy a car.
So, some credit and loans can be good when used in parallel to your normal budgeting plans. But never over stretch yourself with a large loan over a long period if you think there is a risk you would struggle to make the payments if something went wrong.
When things start to mount up and we start borrowing with high interest rates it becomes a problem. Remember the provider will give you credit but it’s your responsibility to pay it back. They will have also made it clear what the interest rates are and the penalties for non-payment. So, they pass the responsibility onto you.
There is a culture developing now whereby debtors are trying to become the victim and blame the lender for making it so easy. It does not really matter who is to blame once you get into debt – only you can sort it out.
There are some excellent loan and credit card schemes out there if you have a good credit score. You can improve your credit score see what MAS say or see Experian info and for Bankrate info.
Don’t bury your head in the sand. If you owe money and are struggling to pay it back, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! There are some steps you need to take. First, collect information about all your debts. Check which debts you have to pay and then work out which debts to deal with first (see above).
Then, depending on how severe your situation is, you can restructure your income and expenditure or look at your options for getting out of debt.
See the tabs below for more information.
Click on any of the tabs on the right to see more information
If you’re worried about debts, then you need to start taking action. Don’t bury your head in the sand! The first step is to look to see what help is available. There are many online sites which can help you, and you can also get free help and advice (see the links at the bottom of this page).
Money Helper have a Money Navigation tool which can give you guidance online.
The tool below can help you find a debt adviser. You can talk to them confidentially face to face or by telephone, or go online.
A debt adviser will:
The National Debtline have a 4 step plan to dealing with debt.
You can download this below under more Information, but it may be better to use the online version.
If for whatever reason you are struggling to pay bills it’s best to deal with the matter ASAP rather than wait until things become desperate. Avoid payday lenders and money lenders, which involve borrowing short term money at ridiculous rates.
Prioritise your debt into:
See our list below for more information on priority debts. There are free support services available to you – we show you how to find a debt advisor.
If you’re facing a debt emergency
It’s important to get (ideally free!) debt advice as soon as you can if you’ve fallen behind on priority payments, or are facing any emergency issues, including:
Some debt advisers will be able to talk to the court, bailiff or creditor on your behalf. If you want someone to do this for you, check if they’ll be able to.
They’ll also advise you on what to do next.
You must always turn up to a court hearing, as it gives you the chance to come to an agreement.
If you don’t go, a decision might be made without considering any information about your situation.
If you’re there you can tell the court what’s happening, and it might help them to reach a decision that is better for you.
Some courts use advice organisations such as Shelter or Citizens Advice who will be able to give you some last-minute advice on what to do.
If you’re due in court within 24 hours, ask if there’s someone you can speak to before your case is heard.
Here your landlord could evict you from your home if you don’t pay.
Before your landlord can do this, they’ll need to go to court to get a ‘possession order’ which says when you have to leave. If you don’t leave by the date on the possession order, your landlord can ask the court to set a date for your eviction.
If the loan is secured against your property your bank or building society might evict you and take your home if you don’t pay.
Again before they can evict you, they’ll need to go to court to get a ‘possession order’ – this says when you have to leave. If you don’t leave by the date on the possession order, your bank or building society can ask the court to set a date for your eviction.
If the debt is with your current energy supplier they might cut off your gas or electricity if you don’t pay.
Before they disconnect you, your supplier has to give you a chance to pay your unpaid bills through a payment plan. They also have to give you 7 days’ notice in writing before they cut off your supply.
Your local council might take you to the magistrate’s court if you don’t pay.
If you have the money but choose not to pay when the magistrate’s court tells you to, you could go to prison. You won’t go to prison if you can show you can’t pay.
You could be sent to prison but only if you have the money but choose not to pay – not if you can show you can’t pay.
You might get a court fine if you commit a crime.
This could be income tax, National Insurance, VAT or even overpaid tax credits.
HMRC can:
HMRC will warn you if they’re going to do this but they don’t have to go to court first.
If you have the money but choose not to pay back a tax credits overpayment, HMRC can take you to court. If you don’t go to court when asked or don’t do what the court tells you to, you could be sent to prison.
The Child Maintenance Service can take the money from your wages or bank accounts if you don’t pay.
They’ll warn you if they’re going to do this but they don’t have to go to court first.
If you have the money but choose not to pay, the magistrate’s court can:
There are some other debts which might be priority debts depending on your circumstances.
If you buy something on hire purchase, you pay for it in instalments and you don’t own it until you finish paying.
This might be a priority debt because the creditor could take back the goods you bought. If you keep the goods in your home or you’ve paid back more than a third of the cost, the creditor has to go to court to do this.
Hire purchase and conditional sale payments are only priority debts if the goods you bought are really important. For example they might be really important if you need them to:
These might be priority debts as your supplier can cut off your phone or internet if you don’t pay.
They’re only priority debts if it’s really important that you can use a phone or the internet. You might, for example, rely on them because you:
If it’s really important for you to use a phone or the internet, tell your supplier when you contact them.
This may be a priority debt because you could be fined by the magistrate’s court if you watch TV without a licence.
You could be sent to prison if you have the money but choose not to pay a court fine, but you won’t if you can show you can’t pay.
What Is a Credit Score? A credit score is a number between 300–850 that depicts a consumer's creditworthiness. The higher the score, the better a borrower looks to potential lenders. A credit score is based on credit history: number of open accounts, total levels of debt, and repayment history, and other factors..
See the info below to find out more.
Click on any of the tabs on the right to see more information
What is considered a normal credit score?
Although ranges vary depending on the credit scoring model, generally credit scores from 580 to 669 are considered fair; 670 to 739 are considered good; 740 to 799 are considered very good; and 800 and up are considered excellent.
How does your credit score affect your ability to get the best credit rate?
Credit scores play a huge role in your financial life. They help lenders decide whether you’re a good risk. Your score can mean approval or denial of a loan. It can also factor into how much you’re charged in interest, which can make debt more or less expensive for you.
How does your credit score work when you have bad debt, late payments or CCJs?
Having a CCJ on your report will significantly lower your credit score. Your credit information is checked by lenders when you apply for credit, and a CCJ can negatively affect your ability to get a loan, credit card or even a bank account.
In the old days bankruptcy would last 5 years but today its one year. It must be always a last resort to apply for personal bankruptcy as this affects your credit score, ability to get loans etc.
But if you have little or no asset that can be seized by the courts you could declare yourself bankrupt and wait a year and the debts are wiped.
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This video from Finder UK explains different types of debt and how to get out of debt.
It doesn’t matter what stage you’re at – it’s important to be the best you can be. At the end of the day it’s about taking personal responsibility – You Drive!
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StepChange are the UK’s leading debt charity – they helped 24,042 people become debt free in 2020. Go to their website.
If you are thinking of taking out a loan, then check options – this takes you to the Money Advice Service calculator which gives alternatives to Payday loans and also gives overall advice.
Take a test from MoneyHelper to see how you are positioned and how you can get help.
Are you claiming all the benefits you can? See the Universal Credit Money Manager
Use the National Debtline My Money Steps free online confidential tool
MoneyHelper list of debt advisers
How much will your credit card cost, or how quickly can you pay it off?
The BBC have a Debt test which quickly summarises your position and gives some guidance on what you can do.
Download National Debtline Dealing with Debt PDF
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