Paid £90 for a Debt Relief Order? The government is refunding it — claim before the end of the year

A Debt Relief Order (DRO) is a lighter alternative to bankruptcy for people with debts under £50,000 and no assets or spare income to repay them. Until April 2024 an application cost £90; the fee was then scrapped entirely. Now the Insolvency Service is refunding those who paid the fee but never ended up submitting an application.

Who is owed a refund?

Refunds are due to anyone who paid the DRO fee between 2016 and April 2024 but did not complete and submit their application. Thousands of people are affected, and around £450,000 is available in total. The agency stresses that this is a genuine refund, not a trick, and it wants to return as much as possible before the end of 2026.

Letters were sent to those affected in March, May and November 2025, and again in January 2026. But the refunds go back ten years, and many people have since changed address, name or bank. If you paid and never got a letter, you can and should claim yourself.

How much will you get back?

The standard case is exactly £90. But the amount can differ: until April 2024 the fee could be paid in instalments, some people overpaid, and some made several incomplete applications. If a charity or another third party paid the fee on your behalf, the claim should include the details of the organisation that paid.

How do you claim?

Email dro.preorder@insolvency.gov.uk with: your DRO application number (if known), your name, address and phone number, your bank or building society name, the account name as shown on your statement, the account number (all 8 digits) and sort code (all 6 digits), plus a building society roll number if applicable. If your details have changed since the application, include your previous name and address too. You can ask for a cheque instead of a bank transfer — just say so in the email. Claims can also be posted to: The Insolvency Service DRO Team, C/O Met Office, Fitzroy Road, Exeter, EX1 3PB.

How do you avoid the scammers?

'The government owes you money, just send your bank details' is a favourite script for fraudsters, so stick to the official channels: email only the insolvency.gov.uk domain, all claims are verified against the agency's own records, and questions can be asked on the customer service line 0300 678 0015 (Monday to Thursday 9am–5pm, Friday 9am–3pm). Nobody should ever charge you a fee for this refund. We have covered how credit history works and what it affects separately.

What is a DRO today?

Since April 2024 a DRO is completely free. You are eligible if you owe less than £50,000 in total, your savings and valuables are worth less than £2,000, your vehicle is worth less than £4,000, you have no money left at the end of the month for debt repayments, you have lived or worked in England or Wales in the last 3 years, you are not currently bankrupt or in an IVA, and you have not had a DRO in the last 6 years.

A DRO can only be arranged through an approved debt adviser — you cannot apply on your own, but the adviser's help is free and no court is involved. A DRO lasts 12 months: during that time you stop paying the debts (and interest) listed in it, and after 12 months those debts are written off. The DRO stays on your credit file for 6 years. And if someone is trying to recover money from you through the courts, see our guide to the small claims court.