You cannot apply for a Debt Relief Order yourself. You need to use an Approved Intermediary.

Jump to article contents:

• Identify an approved intermediary
• Review your financial circumstances
• Submit your application
• DRO authorised by the Official Receiver

Want to start a DRO? Give us a call (0800 077 6180) or complete the form below to speak to one of our experts

Identify an Approved Debt Relief Order Intermediary

You will need to use an Approved Intermediary to help you apply for a Debt Relief Order (DRO). This is a fancy name for an authorised debt counsellor.

There are a number of organisations who have approved intermediaries. These include:

• The Citizen’s Advice
• Angel Advance
• PayPlan
• Step Change debt charity

We normally recommend you speak to your local Citizen’s Advice office or Angel Advance.

Beat My Debt is not an approved DRO intermediary. We can only advise you as to whether it is the right solution for you.

Review your Financial Circumstances

The Approved Intermediary will review your financial circumstances. They must confirm that you meet the acceptance criteria required to apply for a Debt Relief Order.

Your total debts must not exceed £20,000. In addition you must not be a home owner and your car if you have one must be worth no more than £1000.

One of the key criteria you have to meet is the amount you can afford to pay towards your debts each month. This must be no more than £50/mth.

You will have to provide evidence of the amount of debt you owe. If you are unsure your credit file is a good place to look.

Submit your Debt Relief Order Application

Once your Approved intermediary is happy you meet the criteria for a Debt Relief Order they will complete the application form on your behalf.

This document will be given to you for your review. If there are any errors you must ask for these to be changed.

Your application fee then has to be paid. Once this is done the Intermediary will submit your application to the Official Receiver (OR).

Before your application can be submitted you will need to pay a £90 fee. You will be asked to pay this at the Post Office.

Debt Relief Order Authorised by the Official Receiver

The Official Receiver (OR) will review your submitted Debt Relief Order application. If they are satisfied you meet the criteria they will authorise the Order.

They will then will write to you confirming your DRO is in place. They also write to all of your creditors.

You can then stop paying your debts (if you have not already done so). From this point the Order is legally binding on your creditors and you can no longer be chased for payment.

Your Debt Relief Order will last for 1 year. As long as your circumstances do not change for the better you will then discharged and the debt you owe written off.