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Our clients share – in their own words – the impact debt has had on them and their journey out.
Worried about money? Use our online tool to get free debt advice tailored to your situation. Get help now.
These stories are from people who reached out, took control, and found light at the end of the tunnel. Our clients hope their stories help you too.
Our clients, in their own words
Debt is hard to talk about. But StepChange has been helping people for over 30 years and we know that:
Debt can happen to anyone
It happens for lots of reasons
It impacts us in different ways
These stories prove debt is nothing to be ashamed of.
Latest stories
Alannah's story
"I live with a range of different long-term health conditions, which means that for a while I was reliant on ESA and PIP for my income. Things were tight and I was being underpaid due to an error, and therefore I had to appeal this to be able to get my full entitlement."
How we helped Alannah
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Jamie's Story
"Credit cards became my main way of paying bills, buying food. I thought it was only a short term thing and it wouldn't last very long."
Read more about Jamie
Emma's story
"We accumulated council tax arrears and fell behind on our rent, and couldn’t find the money to pay for food, gas and electricity. I felt worthless."
Read Emma's story
Courtney's story
"I got into credit card debt after being offered a credit card at 18 years old, which I relied on because I was trying to keep up with all of my friends and never wanted to say no to nights out and holidays, which meant I always living above my means."
Read Courtney's story
Mortgage and Renting
Steve's story
"We were living hand-to-mouth and it had gotten more expensive to maintain our house. I was feeling incredibly stressed about our situation."
How we helped Steve
Matt's story
"At one point, I took out a personal loan to help with a rent deposit, and other large expenses followed."After a while, things started to get tight and I was struggling to keep on top of my credit commitments. I also slid into rent arrears."
Read more about Matt
Carol's story
"I was fortunate that my sister helped out with a couple of mortgage payments, and a friend tried to help me out with some bills – I was just trying to keep a roof over my head and keep myself fed. I had to buy some things on credit cards and borrow money, assuming that when I was back at work I would be earning the same money that I earned before and be able to pay it back easily."
Read Carol's story
Physical and Mental Health
Chris's story
"However, a few years ago I was diagnosed with a chronic lung condition which meant I had to give up the new career I was passionate about. I didn’t have the money to pay off my debts and I needed to focus on my health."
Learn more about Chris
Hannah's story
"I loved my job as a care home assistant, but after dislocating my knee and ending up in the office for a short time, I was made redundant because I couldn't drive. I also happened to get pregnant around the same time."
Read Hannah's story
Sarah's story
"It’s really common for people who are neurodivergent to find financial management difficult... even though some of us are able to work and can look as if we are coping a lot of the time."
Read Sarah's story
Thomas's story
"When I was in the grips of my addiction every month I would end up spending my income on various bets and games, and would then be forced to take out credit to pay for my essential living costs."
Read Thomas's story
Big Life Changes
Nikki's story
"Before I was in debt, I lived a fairly comfortable life. I had worked abroad and was married with 3 children. However, after we separated, my ex-husband struggled financially and eventually the child maintenance payments stopped when my youngest went to university."
Read Nikki's story
Salma's story
"A few years ago, the school I worked at decided to undergo a restructuring process and I was suddenly made redundant alongside a large number of my colleagues... I didn’t feel able to tell anyone close to me because of a recent family bereavement and because my mum had her own health issues to be concerned about."
Read Salma's story
Joanna on Feefo says:
"No need to be embarrassedI am at the beginning of my journey to become debt free but StepChange have been understanding and empathetic with my personal financial situation. They have not made me feel stupid or made me feel a failure but have helped put my mind at ease, removed the pressure and helped me to take my first steps forward to get my financials under control."
Get help like Joanna
Read our wide range of debt information articles
Our debt information sectionhas over 250 articles on the different types of debt,creditor action, budgeting, and ways to help you understand debt, including:
The debt collection process
Arranging credit card and mortgage payment holidays
Dealing with debt problems
Debt consolidation
Types of debt
Your financial situation
What to do if your DMP company has closed
Getting breathing space while you deal with your debts
Debt happens. We deal with it.
We have helped millions of people since 1993.
Find out how.
Read our clients' stories
Read our reviews
How we can adapt our service to support you
"Stepchange = stress relief"
"Stepchange helped me alot...every month I used to stress because I knew I would have nothing left over to my name. Now I only give the amount I can really afford to my creditors. BIG THANKS TO STEPCHANGE."
"Brilliant service. StepChange enabled me to have some thinking and breathing space whilst I dealt with rent arrears due to being out of work for two months. Once my token payment plan was up for review I then had a look at my credit file to see the best steps to deal with the accounts that had already defaulted.
If you don't pay the minimum payment your account will go into arrears. If this happens: Your lender will contact you to demand the missing payments are made. Then if you don't make the payments they ask for, the account will default.
Our history: From CCCS to StepChange Debt Charity. We have 30 years' experience helping people deal with their debt problems. A lot has happened in those years, including changing our name from the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) to StepChange Debt Charity.
If the creditor doesn't want to deal with the DMP provider, they can still take action to recover the money you owe, which might include taking you to court. If this applies to you, ask the creditor why they're not willing to co-operate with the DMP.
Unfortunately, a debt in collections is one of the most serious negative items that can appear on credit reports because it means the original creditor has written off the debt completely. So when a debt is sent to collections, it can have a severe impact on your credit scores.
We're only able to deliver free debt advice to so many people because we're funded almost entirely by voluntary donations. These donations come from creditors such as banks, building societies, high cost credit providers, utility companies and Money Helper, formerly The Money Advice Service.
StepChange does not cancel plans for one missed payment, especially when circ*mstances are outside your control, but other providers may. However, we may have to cancel a DMP if there are multiple missed payments. Are you a StepChange client? Log in to OnlineDMP to manage and update your plan.
Your DMP may show up on your credit reference file. Some creditors may ask for a note to be put on your file to say that you have a DMP. This would reduce your chances of getting credit if you applied for it while on your DMP, as it would show you've had trouble keeping up with repayments.
The StepChange debt charity website had 315,000 users in May 2023, which is unchanged month-on-month. A 'cost of living increase' remains as the most common reason for debt and has increased by eleven percentage points between May 2022 (16%) and May 2023 (27%)
Entering a debt management plan is free to clients if it's provided by StepChange Debt Charity. Other providers may charge a percentage of the money you pay to them.
We help people worried about debt by giving them free advice, and offering debt solutions that can help them write off some, or all of what they owe. Or they could pay it back over a longer period, for example, in a debt management plan. Unlike lots of charities, we're not funded by donations from the public.
Debts that cannot be included in a debt management plan (DMP) are those that are considered 'priority debts' such as mortgages and secured loans, student loans, court fines, and child support payments.
Do Your Lenders Have to Accept Your DMP? While a DMP can provide you with some relief, lenders are not legally obligated to agree to them. Potential reasons why they may refuse your proposal include: They're unwilling to accept the terms of the DMP.
Your proof of income needs to include your full name, and can be one of the following: Your most recent payslip (dated within the last three months) A recent bank statement that shows your income (dated within the last three months).
While debt restructuring can negatively impact your credit score, it's generally still preferable to the impact a bankruptcy or foreclosure can have, and it can prevent more extreme financial obstacles in the future.
Creditors require the accounts to be closed in order to be put on a DMP. This can slightly lower your credit score, because closing multiple accounts at the same time affects the length of your credit history.
StepChange is a not-for-profit independent charity. Putting people first is what we do. So we offer free, and impartial advice for anyone worried about debt. No matter who you are or how you're feeling, we can help you take action.
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Introduction: My name is Virgilio Hermann JD, I am a fine, gifted, beautiful, encouraging, kind, talented, zealous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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