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Breathing Space: Information for Partners

On 4 May 2021 new legislation came into force, marking a much-needed change for people in problem debt. The Statutory Breathing Space scheme gives eligible people seeking debt advice time to focus on resolving their debts and comes as a result of years of campaigning led by StepChange.

What is Breathing Space?

Breathing Space is a 60-day moratorium period, giving eligible clients a period of legal protection from creditors, to enable them to seek debt advice and find an appropriate solution for their circumstances. 

Breathing Space will be administered by the Insolvency Service, who will create and maintain an electronic service allowing debt advisors to initiate the moratorium and communicate with creditors.


What will this mean for my customers?

We have long campaigned for a statutory Breathing Space scheme, and believe that the new legislation will help stop the cycle of worsening debt, and instead help to put them on the road to recovery.

Our previous research shows that six in ten clients who weren’t protected from interest, charges and enforcement actions being added onto their debts, went on to take out even more credit to cope. 

The Treasury estimated in February 2020 that the new scheme could benefit up to 700,000 people in its’ first year, rising to more than a million within a decade. These estimations were made before the coronavirus pandemic, so in reality, the number of people benefiting from Breathing Space could be even higher. 

What does it mean for my organisation?


How your organisation responds to and prepares for the new legislation will depend on the organisation type, however, the Insolvency Service’s guidance is a starting point for understanding what you will need to do to prepare.

To help partner organisations work with us we’ve put together a pack of information about our Breathing Space query team and how you can contact them about clients on Breathing Space.

For any other questions about the Breathing Space scheme, please contact your Relationship Manager.

Download the pack

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If you'd like to partner with us, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us for more information.

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