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Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA)
Is an IVA Worth it?

IVA Pros and Cons – Complete Analysis & FAQs

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Scott
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Scott Nelson

Managing Director

MoneyNerd’s founder, Scott Nelson, has a decade of financial industry experience, including 6 years in FCA regulated loan and credit card companies. Troubled by a lack of conscience in the industry, he founded MoneyNerd to give genuine advice to those in debt and struggling financially.

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Janine
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Janine Marsh

Financial Expert

Janine Marsh is an award-winning presenter and a valuable member of the MoneyNerd team. With a wealth of experience as a financial expert, she's been featured on BBC Radio 4, BBC Local Radio, and BBC Five Live, and is a regular on Co-op Radio.

Learn more about Janine
· Dec 23rd, 2023
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For free & impartial money advice you can visit MoneyHelper. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options. This isn’t a full fact-find, some debt solutions may not be suitable in all circumstances, ongoing fees might apply & your credit rating may be affected.

For free & impartial money advice you can visit MoneyHelper. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options. This isn’t a full fact-find, some debt solutions may not be suitable in all circumstances, ongoing fees might apply & your credit rating may be affected.

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IVA Pros & Cons Debt

For free & impartial money advice you can visit MoneyHelper. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options. This isn’t a full fact-find, some debt solutions may not be suitable in all circumstances, ongoing fees might apply & your credit rating may be affected.

If you’re having trouble with debt and thinking about an IVA, this is the right article for you. Every month, over 170,000 people visit our site for advice on debt solutions. We know that understanding the IVA process can be hard, and paying off debt can be scary. But don’t worry, you’re not alone in this.

In this article, we’ll help you understand:

  • What an IVA is and how it works.
  • The good and bad parts of an IVA.
  • If the good parts of an IVA are more than the bad parts.
  • If you can pay less debt with an IVA.
  • How to know if an IVA is right for you.

Our team is full of people who have been in debt before. We know how hard it can be. But we’re here to help you. We’ll guide you through the IVA process and answer all your questions.

Let’s learn about IVA together.

Don’t worry, here’s what to do!

There are several debt solutions in the UK, choosing the right one for you could write off some of your unaffordable debt, but the wrong one may be expensive and drawn out. 

Fill out the 5 step form to find out more.

Pros

  • Being in an IVA ensures that your interest and charges that are additional on your debt(s) are frozen. As soon as your IVA is approved, all interests and charges on your debt are frozen so you don’t have to worry about the amount you owe increasing, or even having late payment charges added to what you owe. This is especially important since an IVA lasts a very long time (typically 5 years). If your interest rates had kept increasing over the course of these 5 years, then you would have ended up paying much more money in the form of interest
  • An IVA is relatively affordable compared to other options you may be considering. The great thing about an IVA is that you have an insolvency practitioner working closely with you who will ensure you’re being dealt with fairly. You don’t have to worry about being pressured into paying more than you can afford as your insolvency practitioner will ensure this doesn’t happen. You will only be obligated to make affordable monthly payments that you can afford. 
  • Upon completion, all unsecured debt will be removed. An IVA can shield you from creditors taking legal action against you, such as filing for bankruptcy or filing a court application for payment default. You will not even have to deal with your creditors directly anymore as your IP will do this for you. 
  • You will be legally protected. An Individual Voluntary Arrangement is a legally binding agreement that not only you but your creditors also have to abide by. Once your IVA is approved, all of your creditors will be bound by the terms put forth in your IVA proposal. This means that they will not be allowed to contact you for any repayments outside of your agreed-upon monthly payments or apply for a CCJ which could result in bailiffs.
     
  • An IVA protects your assets. Your home and a vehicle that you may need to run your business or commute to work will be protected and you will not be asked to sell them or remortgage. However, it must be noted that homeowners may be asked to release equity from their homes towards the end of their IVAs.

Cons

An IVA may seem like an attractive option to you up until this point but I must warn you that there certainly are some IVA disadvantages as well. I’ve listed them below: 

  • An IVA will severely impact your credit rating. The IVA will stay present in your credit file and keep negatively affecting your credit rating for six years after its commencement.

    Furthermore, your name will be added to the Individual Insolvency Register which is a public database that shows you’ve taken out an IVA. This will be publicly available to lenders. Your name in the Individual Insolvency Register coupled with your low credit rating will mean that you will have a lot of difficulties securing any type of credit while your IVA is in place.

    Always be sure to keep in mind the fact that not only will an IVA affect you and your financial dealings when it is in place but it will also affect you for a while after it has ended.
  • There are certain debts you cannot include in an IVA. These debts include student loans, child support, court fines and social fund loans. IVAs are designed for unsecured debts like utility arrears and credit card debt. Always be sure to check what debts are covered by an IVA and whether the debts you have qualify or not. Your IP can help you with this as well as give you other IVA advice. 
  • As mentioned earlier, homeowners may be asked to release equity from their homes towards the end of the IVA. 
  • You will have restrictions on your banking. During the IVA, you will only be able to have a basic bank account. This means you won’t be able to have an overdraft account, a credit card, or a chequebook.
  • It may be quite difficult for you to get your creditors to agree to the terms of your IVA proposal. Please note that your creditors are under no obligation to accept your proposal. If your creditors refuse your initial proposal, you may have to concede to changes that they may suggest or they may even not be open to the idea of you undergoing an IVA at all. 
  • IVAs have a windfall clause. A windfall is a large sum of money that you may unexpectedly come upon during the course of your IVA. Examples of windfalls include money won through a lottery, money inherited from a deceased relative, etc. If you’re in an IVA, you will be expected to hand 100% of your windfall sum to your creditors to help pay off your remaining debt. Not only that but this will also not have any effect on your monthly IVA payments. You will still keep making the monthly payments according to the rate which you can afford.

Do the Benefits of an IVA outweigh the Disadvantages of an IVA? 

There’s no one way to answer this question since it depends entirely on your financial circumstances and the type(s) of debt you have. Just looking at IVA pros and cons will not help you reach an answer as it’s a little more complicated than that. 

For example, if you have a lot of valuable assets that you don’t want to lose because of your debt, then an Individual Voluntary Arrangement would be a great option for you. However, if you don’t have any valuable assets in the first place, then this advantage of an IVA would be useless for you.

If you want to become debt-free as soon as possible then maybe you could look to some other debt solutions such as bankruptcy. Bankruptcy can make you debt-free typically within 3 years. However, your assets are not protected in bankruptcy

Of course, everyone wants to become debt-free as soon as possible but if you have assets that you want to protect, then an IVA would definitely be the best choice for you. Of course, you would not be able to qualify for a Debt Relief Order if you have assets that you want to protect. 

It’s important to note that your monthly payment in an IVA will always be affordable to you as your IP will work with you to ensure you’re only paying what you can afford. This is definitely an extremely major benefit that you should think about. 

Most people are turned off by the long duration of an IVA. It typically lasts 5 years but can sometimes even go to 6 years or more depending on the circumstances. It could extend to 6 years or more if you fail to make a monthly payment or monthly payments during the initial duration of your IVA. 

It’s important to note that while it definitely is a long duration, it’s an affordable debt solution that protects your assets. That is something that most other debt solutions don’t provide. 

Furthermore, it also keeps your creditors in check as it’s legally binding for them as well. They will not be allowed to pressure you in any way while your IVA is in place. This is especially helpful for borrowers who are being hounded by their creditors due to their debt.

When an IVA is in place, you will not be dealing directly with your creditor at all. This means that even if it lasts 5 or 6 years, you won’t have to talk or deal with them directly. 

In addition to this, as I mentioned earlier, since your creditors will not be able to take any further legal action against you or seize your assets, this will definitely relieve you of a lot of stress which you will probably still have if you opt for some other debt solution. 

Lastly, let’s talk about the toll an IVA will have on your credit score. While it’s definitely scary to think about, the truth is that you should really not be seeking credit at all during the course of your IVA anyway.

You’re not going to need a loan anyway since your monthly payments towards your IVA are going to be affordable thanks to your IP.

The only case in which you would need a loan is in an emergency. In that case, you can definitely talk about it with your IP and sort something out. 

If you have reasonable cause to take out a loan, then your IP will allow you to do so and they may even vouch for you which could help you secure a loan from a lender. 

The mention of an IVA stays in your credit file for 6 years. So, if your IVA ends in 5 years, it stays in there for an additional 12 months. I highly recommend that during these 12 months, you should be working on improving your credit score and not taking out loans.

You can do this by using a credit card to pay for your monthly essential expenses and paying the outstanding balance in full each month. 

Important Note

If you’re confused about whether an IVA could be right for you then it would be a good idea to seek debt management advice from a professional. You can contact an independent charity such as StepChange or Payplan for debt advice. 

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The authors
Scott Nelson Profile Picture
Author
MoneyNerd’s founder, Scott Nelson, has a decade of financial industry experience, including 6 years in FCA regulated loan and credit card companies. Troubled by a lack of conscience in the industry, he founded MoneyNerd to give genuine advice to those in debt and struggling financially.
Janine Marsh Profile Picture
Debt Expert
Janine Marsh is an award-winning presenter and a valuable member of the MoneyNerd team. With a wealth of experience as a financial expert, she's been featured on BBC Radio 4, BBC Local Radio, and BBC Five Live, and is a regular on Co-op Radio.