Administration order
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
There are no fees to apply for an administration order. However, the court takes a fee every time you make a payment. The total amount taken in fees cannot be more than 10% of your debt.
So, if you had debts totalling £100, the court could not take more than £10 in fees.
Bankruptcy
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
In England and Wales, it costs £680 to declare yourself bankrupt. This is made up of a:
- £130 application fee
- £550 bankruptcy deposit
In Northern Ireland, it costs around £683 to go bankrupt. This is made up of a:
- £151 court fee
- £525 bankruptcy deposit
- £7 solicitors fee – this can be different depending on your solicitor
Debt management plan (DMP)
All UK
StepChange provides free debt management plans. We do not charge any set up or maintenance fees.
Other providers may charge a percentage of the money you pay to them, which can be as high as half of your monthly payment.
Debt payment programme (DPP)
Scotland only
You do not have to pay any fees to get a DPP through the debt arrangement scheme (DAS). But there are fees included which are paid by your creditors:
- 2% of your total debt amount is paid to the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB)
- 15% of your total debt amount is paid to your money advisor
- 5% of your total debt amount is paid to your payment distributor
Your creditors pay these fees because they are deducted from the balance you owed at the beginning of your DPP.
For example, if you owed £100 to one creditor, this creditor would deduct:
- £2 to pay the AiB
- £15 to pay the money advisor
- £5 to pay the payment distributor
This means that you will only pay £78 of the original £100 back to the creditor through your DPP.
Debt relief order (DRO)
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
The rules around DROs have changed.
In England and Wales, there is no fee to apply for a DRO as of April 6th, 2024.
In Northern Ireland, there is no fee to apply for a DRO as of June 17th, 2024.