IVA Questions and Answers

The most important aspect of asking for help with a debt problem is being sure you are asking the right people to help you.

IVA.org are the right people to approach when it comes to IVA's, because helping people learn about IVA's is what we do better than anybody else.

  1. What is an IVA
  2. Where do IVAs come from
  3. Must I open a new bank account for my IVA
  4. Who pays the IVA fees
  5. What debts can go into an IVA
  6. How much will the IVA payments be
  7. What debts cannot go into an IVA
  8. How long does an IVA last
  9. What will happen to my home in an IVA
  10. What will happen to my car in an IVA
  11. Can I still pay into my pension with an IVA
  12. Will my employer be told of my IVA
  1. Can I include a business loan in my IVA
  2. Can my IVA include overpaid benefits
  3. Can an IVA include my unpaid Inland Revenue Tax bill
  4. Can I do an IVA if I receive Disability Living Allowance DLA
  5. How does an IVA affect credit rating
  6. Can I do an IVA if I am unemployed
  7. What Happens at the end of an IVA
  8. What is a Joint IVA
  9. What happens if my IVA fails
  10. What will happen to equity in my home
  11. What happens if I receive a Windfall during my IVA
  12. Will my creditors agree to my IVA

Ask Your Question

You can call our IVA helpline on 0800 856 8569 and receive your answer straight away.

Or, you can complete the IVA Question form below and we will aim to respond to your IVA questions within 2 hours.

Your Details

Your Question

1 What is an IVA An IVA is a formal debt solution that acts as an alternative to bankruptcy and allows a person with debts above £10,000 an opportunity to agree reduced payments with their creditors for a fixed term, which is normally 5 years.
What is an IVA

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

2 Where do IVAs come from IVAs were introduced in 1986 as part of the Insolvency Act of England, Wales and Northern Ireland and have since become a powerful weapon in the fight against consumer debt problems.
Where do IVAs come from

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

3 Must I open a new bank account for my IVA Yes, in most cases you will need to open a ‘Basic Bank Account’ as your old bank account will be included in the IVA’s list of creditors.
Must I open a new bank account for my IVA

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

4 Who pays the IVA fees An IVA’s fees are drawn out of the IVA contributions. Therefore the creditors pay the fees of the IVA out of the money that has been repaid.
Who pays the IVA fees

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

5 What debts can go into an IVA An IVA can only deal with unsecured debts, such as bank loans, credit cards, store cards and overdrafts.
What debts can go into an IVA

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

6 How much will the IVA payments be Payments into an IVA are based on affordability for the applicant and will vary depending on the personal circumstances of each applicant.
How much will the IVA payments be

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

7 What debts cannot go into an IVA An IVA cannot deal with secured debts, such as Mortgages, Secured loans and Hire Purchase agreements.
What debts cannot go into an IVA

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

8 How long does an IVA last In the vast majority of cases an IVA will last for 5 years, though this can vary depending on the individual circumstances of each case.
How long does an IVA last

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

9 What will happen to my home in an IVA An IVA protects your your home and allows you to stop creditors from taking legal actions to make you sell it.
What will happen to my home in an IVA

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

10 What will happen to my car in an IVA An IVA protects your motor vehicle. Your creditors forfeit the right to take legal action against you as a way of seizing your assets such as your car. Once the IVA is agreed, your car is safe.
What will happen to my car in an IVA

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

11 Can I still pay into my pension with an IVA Yes, although your creditors may insist that your pension contributions are reduced to the minimum contribution levels.
Can I still pay into my pension with an IVA

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

12 Will my employer be told of my IVA No. Your IVA is a private agreement between you and your creditors and your employer will not be notified of your IVA.
Will my employer be told of my IVA

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

13 Can I include a business loan in my IVA Yes. If you are a sole trader and have an outstanding business loan, then it will included in your IVA, just the same as all your other unsecured debts.
Can I include a business loan in my IVA

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

14 Can my IVA include overpaid benefits Yes. Overpaid benefits can be included in your IVA. What's more, if your benefits have been temporarily reduced, your benefits will be returned to the full level of income, helping you afford your IVA contributions more easily.
Can my IVA include overpaid benefits

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

15 Can an IVA include my unpaid Inland Revenue Tax bill Yes. H.M. Revenue & Customs debts can be included into your IVA along with all your other unsecured debts and will be treated in just the same manner.
Can an IVA include my unpaid Inland Revenue Tax bill

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

16 Can I do an IVA if I receive Disability Living Allowance DLA Yes. Receiving DLA does not preclude you from applying for an IVA as it is a living allowance and therefore not considered in the same way as state benefit.
Can I do an IVA if I receive Disability Living Allowance DLA

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

17 How does an IVA affect credit rating An IVA will affect your credit rating for 6 years, begining at the start date of the IVA. Your IVA will not impact on your partner's credit rating or other people you live with, so long as you do not have any 'shared', or joint accounts.
How does an IVA affect credit rating

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

18 Can I do an IVA if I am unemployed No. Your creditors will insist that you have an income which is not based solely on state benefits such as Job Seekers Allowance, therefore you will need to have an alternative income. However, a household income which has partial reliance on state benefit awards can be considered.
Can I do an IVA if I am unemployed

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

19 What happens at the end of an IVA When your IVA successfully completes, any unpaid debts are legally written-off and you will be completely debt free. You will be give a certificate of completion to inform the credit reference agencies and your name will be removed from the insolvency register and you will once again be able to apply for credit.
What happens at the end of an IVA

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

20 What is a Joint IVA Sometimes two people living at the same address whilst sharing financial resources, can propose a ‘Joint IVA’ to clear their shared and individual debts. These are also sometimes referred to as ‘Interlocking IVAs’.
What is a Joint IVA

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

21 What happens if my IVA fails If an IVA is deemed to have failed, the client is no longer under the legal protection of the IVA and becomes responsible once again for arranging payments to their creditors.
What happens if my IVA fails

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

22 What will happen to equity in my home Creditors will expect homeowners to agree to the release the equity in their home at some point within the IVA, however, this clause comes with certain conditions, designed to protect the IVA applicant from having to sell their property.
What will happen to equity in my home

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

23 What happens if I receive a Windfall during my IVA A windfall will most often arrive in the shape of some good fortune, such as a Lottery win or a prize, but it can also come about as a result of misfortune too. Redundancy payments, an Inheritance or Insurance payouts are also classed as financial windfalls.
What happens if I receive a Windfall during my IVA

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

24 Will my creditors agree to my IVA Creditors understand that a small proportion of their customers will fall on hard times and be unable to maintain their financial commitments. They make allowances for such events and have strategies in place to minimize their losses when this happens.
Will my creditors agree to my IVA

Call us now for free on 0800 856 8569 Apply for an IVA FAQ's

Ask Your Question

You can call our IVA helpline on 0800 856 8569 and receive your answer straight away.

Or, you can complete the IVA Question form below and we will aim to respond to your IVA questions within 2 hours.

Your Details

Your Question