Breathing Space: 60 days of respite from debts and creditors

Breathing Space — officially the Debt Respite Scheme — is a government respite for people who cannot keep up with their debts. It operates in England and Wales and buys time to sort things out while pressure from creditors is paused.

What does the respite actually give you?

Standard Breathing Space lasts up to 60 days. During that time, creditors for the debts included in the scheme cannot add interest or charges, take enforcement action, or contact you about those debts. It is not debt write-off and not a full payment holiday — you must still keep up ongoing payments, such as rent, utilities or your mortgage, if you can. The respite simply stops the debt growing and the chasing, so you have room to find a solution.

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Who is eligible?

The scheme is for people struggling with debt, but there are limits. You cannot use it if you already have a Debt Relief Order (DRO), an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) or an interim order, or if you are an undischarged bankrupt. You also cannot use it if you have already used the scheme in the last 12 months (except for a mental health crisis, see below).

How do you apply?

You cannot set up Breathing Space yourself. You must speak to a debt adviser, who assesses your situation and, if the scheme is right for you, submits the application. Free advisers can be found through the government's MoneyHelper service — advice is available online, by phone and in person. Applying is free, though some fee-charging advisers exist; going to a free adviser is the sensible route.

A separate scheme in a mental health crisis

For people receiving mental health crisis treatment, there is a Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space. It lasts longer: for the length of the crisis treatment plus a further 30 days afterwards. If the person cannot contact an adviser themselves because of their condition, someone else can do so on their behalf. The 12-month limit does not apply to repeated mental health crisis cases.

What happens next?

The respite is a beginning, not an end. Use the weeks with your adviser to choose a longer-term answer: a debt management plan, a DRO, an IVA or something else. The key is not to ignore the problem — the sooner you get help, the more options you have.