Paid for a Debt Relief Order? You could be owed a £90 refund

Thousands of people who paid towards a Debt Relief Order application could still be owed money, with around £450,000 in refunds waiting to be claimed.

The Insolvency Service has issued a fresh appeal for people who paid the old application fee between 2016 and April 2024 but did not complete their application to come forward.

Many people could receive £90 back, although some may be owed more or less depending on how much they paid.

The refunds relate to Debt Relief Orders in England and Wales.

Who could get a Debt Relief Order refund?

You could be owed money if you paid some or all of the old Debt Relief Order application fee but your application was never submitted.

Before April 2024, applying for a Debt Relief Order cost £90.

People could pay the fee in full or in instalments. The fee was scrapped on 6 April 2024 and there is now no charge to apply for a Debt Relief Order.

The refunds cover incomplete applications going back to 2016.

The Insolvency Service says it has contacted people who may be affected several times, but some people will have moved home or changed their contact details since they originally applied.

So, even if you have not received a letter, it could still be worth checking if you remember paying towards an application that was never completed.

How much could you get back?

Many people will be due a £90 refund.

However, the amount can vary.

You could receive less if you only paid part of the old fee. Some people could receive more if they overpaid or made payments towards more than one incomplete application.

Around £450,000 is still waiting to be returned to people who are eligible.

How to claim your refund

If you think you are owed money, you can contact the Insolvency Service directly.

Email:

dro.preorder@insolvency.gov.uk

You should include:

• your Debt Relief Order application number, if you know it
• your name
• your address
• your telephone number
• the name of your bank or building society
• the name on the account
• your eight-digit bank account number
• your six-digit sort code
• your building society roll number, if you have one

The Insolvency Service will check claims against its records before paying any money.

If you would rather receive a cheque, you can ask for one instead.

You can also write to:

The Insolvency Service DRO Team
C/O Met Office
Fitzroy Road
Exeter
EX1 3PB

You can find the full refund instructions in the official Insolvency Service announcement.

What if you’ve moved house or changed your details?

You can still make a claim.

If your name or address has changed since you made the original application, include both your old and current details when you contact the Insolvency Service.

This should help it match you to its records.

If a charity or another organisation originally paid the fee for you, include details of the organisation when you make your claim.

Is there a deadline to claim?

The Insolvency Service is encouraging people to make their claim before the end of 2026 and says it hopes to return as much of the outstanding money as possible before then.

It has not described 31 December 2026 as a hard deadline after which refunds will automatically disappear.

However, if you think you may be owed money, there is little reason to put off checking.

What is a Debt Relief Order?

A Debt Relief Order, usually shortened to DRO, is one way of dealing with debts you cannot afford to repay.

If money is getting difficult more generally, our Help & Support section has simple guides covering debt, bills and other financial problems.

DROs are available in England and Wales to people who meet certain conditions.

Under the current Debt Relief Order rules, you generally need to:

• owe less than £50,000
• have less than £75 a month in spare income
• have less than £2,000 worth of assets
• not own a vehicle worth £4,000 or more
• have lived or worked in England and Wales within the last three years
• not have had a DRO in the last six years

Applications have to be made through an approved debt adviser. You cannot apply for a DRO on your own.

A DRO normally lasts for 12 months. During that time, you stop making payments towards the debts included in the order.

At the end of the 12 months, you normally no longer have to pay those debts.

There is now no application fee.

DROs are not available under the same system in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

If you’re struggling to keep up with everyday bills as well as debt, we’ve also put together a guide on what to do if you can’t pay your bills.

Watch out for scams

The Insolvency Service says this is a genuine refund and wants people who are owed money to claim it.

Caroline Shanahan, a senior leader in the Personal Insolvency Team at the Insolvency Service, said:

“We want to reassure customers that this is a genuine refund and we want them to claim their money back if it is due.”

If you receive an unexpected message and are unsure whether it is genuine, use the contact details on GOV.UK rather than relying on contact information supplied in the message.

You can also call the Insolvency Service customer service helpline on 0300 678 0015 if you have questions about the refund process.

The helpline is open Monday to Thursday from 9am to 5pm and Friday from 9am to 3pm.