Get in touch with us as soon as you can.

• We will listen to you to understand your situation and provide guidance on options available.
• If your situation is as a result of domestic, financial or economic abuse please ensure you make our staff aware. We have a specialist team to support you.
• When discussing your circumstances with us you can include a member of your family, close friend or authorised third party or carer if you wish. This can be arranged by completing our third party mandate form. Visit our Contact Us page or your local branch.

What you might wish to consider

1. Making a list of your income and outgoings.

• It can be helpful to use a budget planner app to help with this. These can be readily found online.
• If your income is less than your outgoings ensure your priority bills are paid first. These include mortgages or rent (arrears or monthly payments due) , council tax, utilities (water, gas, electricity). Non-priority bills would be things such as unsecured loans, credit cards, and catalogues.
• Contact companies you owe money to (your creditors) as soon as you can to make them aware. They will be able to provide you with options.
• It may be useful to review the list of direct debits and standing orders on your bank account. Are there any which are no longer required and could be cancelled?⁣⁣
• Consider the last time you reviewed any essential outgoings. Are there alternatives available which may be more cost effective?

2. Review your bank and credit card statements.

• Are there any daily or regular items that could be considered non-essential which you could cut back on? For example, take away coffees and snacks.

3. Find out if you may be eligible for benefits to support you. See Useful Contacts for details.

4. If you have insurance policies check with your provider how these may help you.

5. Check with Citizens Advice or your local tax office to see if your tax status is affected.

Be wary of the following:

• Cold or unsolicited calls that offer investments, cheap prices or great deals, or schemes offering quick money
• Suspicious emails or texts about investing small amounts of money but with big returns
• People offering paid jobs like “money agents” – you receive money into your account and then move it to another account. This is money muling and it’s illegal.
• Adverts on social media about investments – often promoted by celebrities
• Illegal money lenders, sometimes referred to as ‘Loan Sharks’.