individual voluntary arrangement An individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) is a formal and legally binding agreement between you and your creditors to pay back your debts over a period of time. … An IVA can be flexible to suit your needs but it can be expensive and there are risks to consider. What is an IVA and how does it work?
An Individual Voluntary Arrangement ( IVA ) is an agreement with your creditors to pay all or part of your debts. You agree to make regular payments to an insolvency practitioner, who will divide this money between your creditors. An IVA can give you more control of your assets than bankruptcy.
How much debt is needed for an IVA?
Any amount of debt can be included in an IVA. There are no minimum or maximum limits set by the law. Is an IVA a CCJ?
Yes, a County Court Judgement debt can be included in an IVA. Insolvency law states that when someone applies for an IVA, all their unsecured creditors must be treated equally, with no advantage being afforded to one over another.
Who qualifies for an IVA?
To qualify for an IVA an individual must have three or more creditors, and larger debts (typically over £15,000). An IVA can be a useful way to deal with repayments, helping people in debt to return a realistic and affordable amount to their creditors. What are the disadvantages of IVA?
Cons of an IVA
- Your credit rating will be affected. An IVA will negatively impact your credit rating. …
- An IVA is not private. …
- You will need to follow a strict budget. …
- If you’re a homeowner, you may need to release equity from your home.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)
Does an IVA stop bailiffs?
Bailiffs were not allowed to visit the client’s property, as an IVA stops the creditors from continuing legal action. The creditor who had instructed bailiffs received the payment from the IVA in full and final settlement of their debt.
Can an IVA affect my job?
Having an IVA will not usually affect your job. But if you are in certain professions, such as solicitors and accountants, having an IVA may mean that you can no longer practice, or may practice only subject to certain conditions.
Can I keep my bank account with an IVA?
If you get an IVA, you may need to change your bank account while the IVA is being set up. This is because your bank may be able to automatically take money from your account to pay any unpaid debts. … If your bank is linked to your debts, you need to switch your bank account. That way, your income will be safe.
Can you hide a bank account from IVA?
Yes, an IVA is governed directly by the court and it is a fraud to hide money from them. Any such attempt will not go ignored and you will be taken to court over the dispute. You may even need to hire a third party to deal with such a situation (if it arises), which means extra cost.
Can I pay off IVA early?
Can I go on holiday while on IVA?
Taking a holiday is not prohibited during an IVA. In fact, you can travel across the UK or elsewhere. But, obtaining the funds to pay for it could be tough. This means you’ll have to manage within the limits of your IVA budget.
Can I add new debts to my IVA?
Your Insolvency Practitioner (IP) should simply be able to add the new debt to your IVA without any issues. The law refers to creditors such as these as unknown creditors. … Simply put, this means that all of your existing creditors, plus the one that you want to add to your debt solution, must agree to the change.
Will an IVA write off debt?
Some organisations claim that IVAs can write off up to 90% of your debt. Whilst this can happen in extremely rare cases, in reality, an IVA will write off between 50% and 60% of an average debt of just under £60,000. … IVAs are a lifeline for many tens of thousands of people in the UK each year.
Does IVA cover court fines?
Debts that aren’t ususally included in an IVA include: Court fines. TV Licence arrears. Student loans. Child support arrears.
Can you put council tax on an IVA?
Individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) and council tax debt. Your council tax is one of the most important household bills. Once your individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) is put in place, your council tax will be included in the IVA payment you make each month.
What causes an IVA to fail?
If you can’t make payments to your IVA and your creditors won’t accept lower payments, your IVA will fail. … Your insolvency practitioner could make you bankrupt if there are enough funds in the IVA, otherwise your creditors can take action individually to make you bankrupt.
What is the minimum IVA payment?
There’s no set minimum payment for an IVA, but if you can’t afford to pay a reasonable amount each month, your creditors are unlikely to accept the IVA proposal. In this case other debt solutions, such as a debt relief order, may be a better option for you.
Can I be refused an IVA?
In some cases, the creditors involved might not agree to the terms of your IVA proposal, which results in your IVA being rejected. The most common cause of rejection of an IVA proposal is when your creditors do not believe that the proposed repayment plan is enough to meet individual creditor guidelines.
Is an IVA better than a DRO?
A DRO is a preferable option to bankruptcy. Creditors included in your IVA are unable to take legal action against you or request payments. Creditors included in your DRO are unable to take legal action against you or request payments. Few IVAs need to be registered with the Court.
Is it worth doing an IVA?
An IVA might be a good idea if the following applies to your circumstances: You want to write off some of your debts. You owe debts to multiple creditors. You’re unable to pay the contractual amounts to your debts currently, but could afford a monthly repayment.
Does having an IVA affect car insurance?
Firstly, insurance providers will consider you a higher risk when you have an IVA or DRO. While you might not be any more likely to make a claim, you will be considered more likely to miss payments and therefore your premium will be higher.
How long will a bailiff wait outside?
Work out what day the bailiffs will visit on After sending you the notice of enforcement the bailiffs have to wait 7 full days before they can visit you. This doesn’t include the day you get the notice, the day of the visit or Sundays and bank holidays.
How do bailiffs know which car is yours?
If a bailiff knows you have a vehicle but they can’t find it at your home, they’ll often search neighbouring streets. Many bailiff vehicles have automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras so they can spot vehicles they’re looking for while they’re driving around.
Do all creditors have to agree to an IVA?
Do all the creditors have to agree? Not all the creditors have to agree, for the proposal to be accepted. … If at least 75% of creditors (by value) vote in favour, the proposal is accepted and is legally binding straight away. All creditors have to stick to the IVA proposal, even if they voted against it or didn’t vote.
Will my employer know I have an IVA?
Your IVA is a private agreement between you and your creditors and your employer will not be notified, unless they are actually one of your creditors.
Will I lose my car if I have an IVA?
If you enter into an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA), you will generally be allowed to retain your car provided that it is necessary for work or family transport reasons and the car’s value is not excessive.
Does having an IVA affect renting a property?
How does an IVA affect renting? Everyone’s circumstances are different. But if you’re currently renting a property, an IVA should have no impact on your rent agreement as long as you continue to make the payments to your landlord.

Graduated from ENSAT (national agronomic school of Toulouse) in plant sciences in 2018, I pursued a CIFRE doctorate under contract with Sun’Agri and INRAE in Avignon between 2019 and 2022. My thesis aimed to study dynamic agrivoltaic systems, in my case in arboriculture. I love to write and share science related Stuff Here on my Website. I am currently continuing at Sun’Agri as an R&D engineer.