Debt Statistics: UK Insolvency, IVA and Council Tax Data

Debt Statistics

Official UK figures on IVAs, insolvency, council tax arrears and Breathing Space, all sourced, dated and free to use.

Check if you qualify →Free, no-obligation checkWon’t affect your credit score

May not be suitable in all circumstances. Fees apply, read more. Your credit rating may be affected, read more.

Things to know about IVAs

An IVA is a formal insolvency procedure. It must be approved by your creditors, stays on your credit file for six years, fees are taken from your payments, and debts are only written off if you complete it. It isn’t right for everyone.

Read the key risks

Creditors must approve it. An IVA only goes ahead if creditors holding at least 75% of the debt that is voted agree. Your proposal can be rejected.
Credit file and public register. An IVA stays on your credit file for six years from the start date and is listed on the public Individual Insolvency Register while it runs. Getting credit will be harder.
Spending restrictions and annual reviews. You live on an agreed budget for the length of the IVA (usually 5–6 years). Your income and spending are reviewed each year, and your payment can go up.
Fees. Fees are taken from your monthly payments, so less of what you pay reaches your creditors. How IVA fees work.
Your home. Under the current IVA Protocol, your home isn’t included in the IVA and you won’t be asked to remortgage. If your share of the equity is £10,000 or more, the IVA usually lasts six years instead of five.
If it fails. If you can’t keep up payments the IVA may fail, you would owe the remaining debt again, and the supervisor may petition for your bankruptcy.
Write-off only on completion. Remaining qualifying unsecured debts are only written off if the IVA is completed successfully. Secured debts, court fines, child maintenance, student loans and some other debts can’t be included.
Other options may suit you better. A debt management plan, DRO or bankruptcy may be more suitable. IVAs are available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland only; different solutions apply in Scotland.

Last updated: 28 October 2026

Our debt statistics pages bring together official figures on personal debt and insolvency in the UK, with every number sourced and dated. Use them to understand the bigger picture, check a fact, or find figures for your area. Journalists, researchers and advisers are welcome to use them with credit.

71,843new IVAs in England and Wales in 2025

61%of IVAs started in 2015–2019 were completed

£7.4bncouncil tax arrears in England at 31 March 2026

Browse our debt statistics

Overview

UK Debt Statistics 2026

71,843 IVAs

in England and Wales in 2025. Personal debt, insolvencies by year since 2015, largest firms and council tax.

View statistics →By area

UK Insolvency Map

Every council

IVA, DRO and bankruptcy rates for every local authority area in England and Wales.

View statistics →IVA providers

IVA Company Statistics

63,005 IVAs

set up January to September 2026. See new IVAs by firm every month and year, and the largest IVA companies.

View statistics →IVA outcomes

IVA Success and Failure Rates

61% completed

of IVAs started in 2015 to 2019. See completion and failure rates for every year, and when IVAs fail.

View statistics →IVA costs

IVA Costs and Payments

£100 a month

median surplus income in IVAs studied by the Insolvency Service, plus debt levels and published IVA fees.

View statistics →Council tax

Council Tax Arrears by Council

£7.4bn

owed in England at 31 March 2026. Search arrears and collection rates for all 296 councils.

View statistics →Debt respite

Breathing Space Statistics

89,130

registrations in 2025. Track monthly registrations, mental health crisis cases and use by age.

View statistics →Who is affected

Insolvency by Age and Gender

48.0 per 10,000

adults aged 35-44 became insolvent in 2025, the highest of any age group.

View statistics →

Latest figures

8,224 new IVAs were registered in England and Wales in September 2026, and 63,005 from January to September 2026, 20% more than in the same months of 2025.¹
The largest IVA firm in the 12 months to September 2026 was The Insolvency Group, with 12,058 new IVAs.¹
There were 5,149 Breathing Space registrations in September 2026.¹
Councils in England collected 95.6% of 2025-26 council tax, with £7.42 billion in arrears.²

How we compile these statistics

We take figures directly from official releases and published research, and say where each figure comes from. Where we've calculated something ourselves, such as market shares or arrears per home, we say so. IVA Advice Online is a trading name of My Debt Plan Ltd, which appears in some of the IVA firm data. We don't adjust or select official figures.

Release schedule: insolvency statistics are published monthly, IVA outcomes quarterly, IVA providers each February or March, insolvency by age, gender and area each March, and council tax collection figures each June or July.

Common questions

Where do your debt statistics come from?

Almost all figures come from official sources: the Insolvency Service, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Accountant in Bankruptcy and the Bank of England. Some pages also use published research and charity data. Every figure links to its source.

How often are the statistics updated?

We update the pages when new official figures are published. Insolvency statistics are released monthly, IVA outcomes quarterly, IVA providers and insolvency by age and gender annually, and council tax collection figures each summer.

Can I use these statistics?

Yes. Please credit the original source shown for each figure, and link to the relevant page on IVA Advice Online if it helped you find them. Most pages include a CSV download.

Struggling with debt? Free, impartial debt advice is available from StepChange, National Debtline and Citizens Advice. Our guides explain how IVAs, debt management plans, debt relief orders and bankruptcy work, including the downsides of each.

Sources

Insolvency Service, Individual insolvency statistics: September 2026, published 20 October 2026.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Collection rates for council tax and non-domestic rates in England, 2025 to 2026, Tables 6 and 9 (local authority data), published 24 June 2026, revised 31 July 2026.