Debt relief order application process

A debt relief order (DRO) is a way to deal with debts if you:

• owe £50,000 or less
• don't own your home
• don't own anything of much value
• have very little money left after covering essentials each month

A DRO lasts for 12 months. If your financial situation doesn’t get better in that time, the debts included in your DRO are written off. That means you can't be asked to pay them back at any time.

DROs are available to people living in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. If you live in Scotland, you may want to consider the minimal assets process.

This guide explains everything you need to know about applying for a DRO.

You can’t apply for a debt relief order on your own. A company approved by the Insolvency Service has to submit the application on your behalf.

We’re an approved company, so we can help with this.

The first thing you need to do when considering applying for a DRO is to make sure it’s the right option for you. A DRO is not something to be undertaken lightly as it’s likely to have a significant impact on your credit rating.

This means it’s important to get debt advice first. We offer free, impartial advice and will only recommend a. a DRO if we believe it’s the best solution given your individual circumstances.

If we think a DRO is right for you, we’ll:

• go through your income, spending and debts
• check you meet all the qualifying criteria
• talk you through all the advantages and things you need to consider

If you qualify and decide that a DRO is the right option for you, you’ll need to send us evidence of your income, spending and debts. This will include things like:

• pay slips
• benefits letters
• bills
• bailiff letters
• bank/credit-card/loan statements
• demand letters