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Free UK debt tools

Debt tools for letters, calls, old debts and bailiff fees

Use these free tools when a collector, solicitor, creditor or enforcement agent has contacted you and you need a safe first step.

Written by James WilsonCII Advanced Diploma in Debt AdviceUpdated 30 April 2026

Start with letter triage Compare debt options
5 tools letters, dates, fees and phone checks
2026 includes the 1 May bailiff fee change
Free no credit score impact
Sources official rules linked on each page

Tools and templates

Choose the tool that matches your letter

These pages target the searches people make when they have a collector letter, an old account, or a bailiff warning in front of them.

Template Prove-the-debt letter generator

Create neutral wording asking a collector for evidence before you pay or admit liability.

Checker Statute barred debt checker

Screen old accounts using last payment, written acknowledgement, location and judgment status.

Calculator Bailiff fee checker

Estimate common England and Wales enforcement fees before and from 1 May 2026.

Lookup Debt collector phone number lookup

Search a call or text number against IVA Advice's verified collector notes.

Triage What letter did you receive?

Route ordinary collector letters, Letters of Claim, old debt, court forms and notices of enforcement.

These tools are for the moment before you decide whether to pay, dispute, ask for time, or get debt advice. They are not a substitute for regulated debt advice, but they can help you avoid common first-step mistakes.

When to use these tools
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Use the prove-the-debt generator if you do not recognise the collector, balance, original creditor or reference number.

Use the statute barred checker before paying an old debt or writing anything that could be read as admitting the debt.

Use the bailiff fee checker when a Notice of Enforcement, visit letter or fee breakdown has arrived.

Use the phone number lookup before calling back a number from a text, missed call or voicemail.

Use the letter triage tool if you are not sure whether the letter is ordinary collection, pre-court, court, old debt, government debt or enforcement.

What these tools do not do
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They do not tell you to ignore formal papers. If you have a court claim, a judgment, a Notice of Enforcement, a warrant or a visit booked, protect the deadline and get free advice quickly.

They also do not decide whether an IVA, Debt Management Plan, Debt Relief Order, bankruptcy, Breathing Space or informal arrangement is best for you. Use them to check the immediate letter first, then compare the full debt position.

Sources

Sources checked for this guide

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