GETTING READY FOR YOUR FIRST APPOINTMENT
All debt advice work is only possible because of the information you give us. Without this information we can do virtually nothing to help you; the length of your case depends mostly on how much paperwork and information you have ready for your first telephone meeting.
After you first contact us, you will be sent a “pack” – a blank income and expenditure form; This will be the most important document at your first appointment. Below we list some simple things you must do to prepare for your first telephone appointment. Just take it step-by-step, and if you get stuck at any stage, just call or message us for help.
- Go through the blank income and expenditure form carefully and fill in all the sections that apply to your situation
- Collect all letters from the people you owe money to (creditors) – keep all your post and have it ready to share with us if we ask
- Please take immediate steps to get copies of your last 3 months’ bank statements (We need these to verify your budget)
- Collect together your most recent benefits letters
- You will also be asked to sign some documents and return them to us BEFORE your first meeting – details will be in the letter with your “pack”
If you have either COUNCIL TAX or HOUSING BENEFIT debt, please phone your local council for details.
We need to know what time period the debt relates to, how much you owe – and is there a deduction in place from either your earnings or benefits?
If you are on UNIVERSAL CREDIT phone Universal Credit Debt Management 0345 850 0293 to find out if you have any Universal Credit deductions.
For each debt ask: what is it for, how much is the balance, and how much is the deduction?
If you receive TAX CREDITS, phone the Tax Credits Helpline 0345 300 3900 and find out if there are any old debts.
For each debt ask: what tax year, how much is the balance, and is there a deduction from earnings or benefit (which one?) in place?
If you have DEDUCTIONS FROM EARNINGS ask your employer for a copy of the letter(s) they had telling them to set up the deduction(s).
USEFUL TIP
Calls to the Council, Universal Credit etc can be slow – so look at the free WeQ4U app, which can save you loads of money when making mobile phone calls and takes away the stress of long waits in a queue.