What to do if you can't afford to pay your bills

"Feel so fed up! Been treading water financially anyway trying to make ends meet and it has been really hard. I genuinely have no clue how I can afford all these price rises". Holly (young working mother of 3).

It is important to do something if you find you are unable to pay and are at risk of getting into debt says Citizens Advice Charnwood.

Some debts are classed as 'Priority Debts' and they can cause you particularly serious problems if you don't do anything about them straight away. Non-payment can lead to:

• Losing your home
• being cut off from essential supplies like gas or electricity
• having essential possessions taken away
• going to prison

Work out which bills you need to pay first. Most organisations or people you owe money to should be able to help you by doing things like:

• reducing your payments
• giving you more time to pay
• keeping you connected to their service even if you owe money - for example your energy, phone or internet

Each provider will be different so it's important to check what help you should get. Our Advisers can help you to sort this out.

Here is some further general information which may help:-

Rent:
If your income has reduced, even if you're still working, you might be entitled to benefits to help with housing costs.
You should explain the situation to your landlord straight away - they might give you more time to pay, or agree to reduce your rent.

Mortgage:
Ask your mortgage provider for help if you're struggling. For example, they might agree to let you pay less each month - this means you'll pay your mortgage back over a longer period of time.

Council Tax:
If you miss a Council Tax payment, you will be in 'arrears' - this means you owe money to your council.
Don't wait for them to contact you. You should contact your council straight away. Ask to speak to someone in the Council Tax office and tell them about your situation.

If you ignore Council Tax arrears, it's likely the council will take you to court quickly to get all the money at once. You'll have to pay court costs and possibly bailiff fees as well as your debt, which can add hundreds of pounds to your bill.

Energy:
At the moment, your energy supplier won't disconnect your gas or electricity if you miss a payment. If you've got a prepayment meter and you don't top it up, your energy supply might still stop.
If you call your supplier, you might have to wait longer than normal to speak to someone. If you can, try contacting them online through their website, through social media, or by email.

If you have a prepayment energy meter your supplier will try to help you find ways to keep your energy supply connected if you can't top up your meter.Tell your supplier as soon as possible if you can't top up. You'll find their contact details on their website or on your bill.

Mobile, phone, internet or TV bill:
You should be able to get help from most providers. Contact them and ask what they can do to help. For example, they might agree to help you by:

• reducing your bill
• giving you more time to pay
• increasing your data or download limit
• moving you to a contract that suits your needs better

If your provider won't help you, you might be able to switch to a different provider. If you owe money to your old provider when you switch, you'll still have to pay them.

TV Licence:
Contact TV Licensing - they can help you:

• change your payment plan
• cancel your licence if you don't need it

You can check how to contact TV Licensing and what they can do to help on their website: www. https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/

Water:
It's best to speak to your water company as soon as you can if you're having problems paying your bill. You might be able to get a payment holiday on your bill, or move to a cheaper tariff.

Court bills, fines:
You might be able to change the amount you have to pay.

Child maintenance:
Tell the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) Telephone: 0800 171 2345
If you're struggling to pay your essential living costs, the CMS might agree to let you pay less.

Remember, our Citizens Advice Advisers can support you by advising on the best course of action, assisting with writing letters and making phone calls and helping you to get the best from the money you have available.
Ring our Local Enquiry line on 01509 649605 which is open on Mondays and Thursdays 9.30 am – 3.00pm & Tuesdays 9.30am – 12 noon.