Better Debt Advice

Earlier this year we published a blog on the overall findings of our latest Debt Need Survey, which measures the number of UK adults who need debt advice. Here, Debt Insight Manager Paul Das looks at what the survey tells us about the financial wellbeing of 18–24-year-olds in the UK. Our definition of “needing debt advice” is that a person needs to go through a regulated advice process...

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) is taking action to ensure we keep meeting the needs of debt advice clients, many of whom are presenting with increasingly complex cases. After feedback from advisers and advice organisations, along with our own research, MaPS has recognised that there has been a significant rise in case complexity in recent years. In response, together with the...

Our 2022 Debt Need Survey, looked at the need for debt advice and how households are reacting to changes in the cost of living. This technical report covers the approach that MaPS took to the survey, working with research agency Alligator. The report goes into detail on how we executed each aspect of the project from questionnaire development, interviewing and data processing. Insights...

Debt Insight Manager Paul Das shares what we know about the changes in how many people need debt advice, who might need advice in the future and how people are responding to changes in the cost of living. In 2021, MaPS adopted a new way of measuring the need for debt advice and we reported back on who needed debt advice using the results from our 2021 debt need survey, including an...

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) is now calling for evidence on debt advice clients with deficit budgets. The purpose of this call for evidence is to understand what help can, or could, be offered where a client presents with a deficit budget, as well as what MaPS can do to enable this help to be given. Overview Debt advice clients with deficit budgets have been...

Debt Insight Manager Paul Das shares what we know about people using Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) products, shares our concerns about what is currently offered by some providers and discusses how this product could fit within the regulated credit landscape. BNPL in the UK There are various estimates of the size of BNPL usage in the UK, but what all analysts and market commentators agree...

This report covers the approach that MaPS took to its 2021 Debt Need Survey, working with research agency Alligator. The report goes into detail on how we executed each aspect of the project from questionnaire development, interviewing and data processing. Insights from the survey were used to produce this blog on who needs debt advice in 2022. More details on our new Need For...

UK Strategy for Financial Wellbeing Following listening events in Scotland and across the UK, The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) launched the UK Strategy for Financial Wellbeing at the start of 2020. The Strategy is designed to bring partners together to transform the country’s financial wellbeing in a decade. Since then, MaPS has been coordinating proposals for a Delivery Plan for...

Following listening events in Northern Ireland and across the UK, The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) launched the UK Strategy for Financial Wellbeing at the start of 2020. The Strategy is designed to bring partners together to transform the country’s financial wellbeing in a decade. UK Strategy for Financial Wellbeing Since then, MaPS has been coordinating proposals for a Delivery...

Debt Insight Manager Paul Das shares what we know about how many people need debt advice currently, who they are and how we are using these insights. In September 2021, I explained how the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) had adapted the way we measure the need for debt advice. This is a crucial activity for MaPS as understanding people who need debt advice is essential in formulating...

Why do so many young people need debt advice?

MaPS makes changes to debt advice grants in response to increased complexity of client cases in community-based services

Technical Report: 2022 Debt Need Survey

Need for debt advice and how households are reacting to changes in the cost of living

Call for evidence on debt advice clients with deficit budgets

Buy Now Pay Later – the customers and MaPS’ Concerns

2021 Debt Need Survey Technical Report

Delivery Plan for Scotland

Delivery Plan for Northern Ireland

Who needs debt advice in 2022?

Managing money in uncertain times