Having trouble paying?

Talk to us. We want to help.

If something has changed and you’re struggling with your loan repayments, tell us.

Income can drop. Bills can jump. Life happens. The sooner we understand what’s going on, the more chance we have of finding something that works.

Happy to talk? Give our helpdesk a call. Tell us what’s happening and we’ll talk it through with you.
Call 02392 827980
Don’t feel able to call? Tell us online instead. Use our Helping Hand form to tell us what’s happened, why you’re struggling to pay and anything else you think we should know. You can explain it in your own time without having to make a phone call.
Tell us what’s happening
What can we do?

There are a few ways we may be able to help.

Everyone’s situation is different, so we’ll look at what is actually happening rather than assuming the same answer works for everyone.

1
We’ll try to talk to you If you fall behind, we’ll try to contact you so we can understand what has happened.
2
Give you reasonable time We can look at giving you a reasonable period of time to pay back what you owe.
3
Avoid making things worse While you’re talking to us, we’ll look at avoiding fees which would unnecessarily increase your debt.
4
Agree a payment plan We may be able to arrange a payment plan with you or temporarily freeze interest.
5
Change how or when you pay A different payment method or payment date may make things easier to manage.
6
Look at paying over longer We may consider whether the loan can be repaid over a longer period to reduce the regular payment, or whether capitalising the debt is appropriate.
The important bit is to keep us updated. That doesn’t have to mean a phone call. If talking feels difficult, use the Helping Hand form and tell us what’s going on that way.

Want some independent help too?

You may be able to increase your income or get some help looking at your wider finances and debts.

Could you be missing out on benefits?

Use the Turn2us Benefits Calculator to check whether there may be benefits or extra support you can claim.

Check my benefits
MoneyHelper

Get help with budgeting, debt, bills, benefits and everyday money.

Visit MoneyHelper
StepChange

If you have several debts or things feel difficult to manage, you can get independent debt advice.

Visit StepChange
Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice can also help with debt, benefits, bills and other money problems.

Visit Citizens Advice
If communication breaks down

What happens if we can’t sort things out?

We’d much rather agree a way forward with you. But if repayments stop and we can’t get any information from you or agree a payment arrangement, we may eventually need to take debt recovery action.

What could happen next?
  • We may charge reasonable fees where these are allowed under your loan agreement. This may include legal fees. We will tell you about any fees in advance.
  • If we can’t agree a payment plan, or you refuse to talk to us about clearing your arrears, we may go to court to recover the debt.
  • We will offer pre court mediation before taking legal proceedings and give you 30 days to respond with a payment plan or offer.
  • If you don’t respond to mediation, we will issue a pre court notice advising you that we will be asking the Court to register a County Court Judgment against you. You will have a further 14 days to respond.
  • A County Court Judgment may have a negative effect on your credit file, making future borrowing unavailable or more expensive.
What other recovery action could be taken?
  • We may attempt to recover the debt from eligible benefits using the Eligible Loan Deduction Scheme. You can find out more about this by speaking to the DWP.
  • We may instruct a bailiff.
  • We may apply for an attachment of earnings.
  • We may ask you to attend a Court hearing.
Why does staying in touch matter so much?

Because if we know what is happening, we have something to work with.

Tell us what has changed and what you can realistically afford. You can do that by phone or through the Helping Hand form.

When we hear nothing at all, the options become much more limited.

Debt recovery is not where we want this to end up. Even if you’ve already missed payments, tell us what’s happening. Call us if you can. If you can’t, use Helping Hand and explain things online.
Need to tell us something? Call us, or use Helping Hand if you’d rather explain it online. The important thing is that we hear from you.
Use Helping Hand