- Money
Around 13,300 people have already turned to the charity for help with debt in the first working week of 2026.
Vicky Shaw Thursday 15 January 2026 00:01 GMT- Bookmark
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People in problem debt may be behind on at least one priority bill, or facing creditor action, or are using credit to pay for essentials (picture posed by model/Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Archive)
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Citizens Advice helped more than 400,000 people across England and Wales with debt problems in 2025 – and said around 13,300 people have already turned to it for help with debt in the first working week of 2026 alone.
The charity said it helped 407,416 people in England and Wales with debt problems during 2025, marking a 44% jump compared with 282,564 people supported by the charity in 2021, when the cost-of-living crisis was taking hold.
Since then, the average amount owed has surged by more than a third (36%), from £6,500 to £8,900.
People in problem debt may be behind on at least one priority bill, or facing creditor action, or are using credit to pay for essentials.
A survey carried out for the charity last autumn found that in the past six months, more than a third (35%) of people trapped in problem debt had been unable to buy essentials such as food.
This rose to 39% of women in problem debt (compared with 31% of men), 51% of people with a disability and 56% among those with a mental health condition.
Nearly two-fifths (39%) of people in problem debt said they felt overwhelmed by the amount of contact they received from creditors chasing payments for debts or unpaid bills, rising to just over half of those with disabilities (51%) and nearly three-fifths (57%) of those with a mental health condition.
A fifth (20%) of people with problem debts have had their phone, gas or electricity cut off, the survey indicated.
Citizens Advice said that awareness of the “breathing space scheme” – which gives people time to get on top of their debts and make a plan – is low.
Only around a quarter (24%) of people in problem debt said they had heard about breathing space, according to the Citizens Advice research.
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It highlighted the case of a woman in her 60s who fell into debt in 2025 after vet treatment for her cat.
Her mobile phone was cut off for a fortnight after she missed a payment, the charity said.
She told the charity: “We had phone calls, letters, emails, texts.
“There are a few nights where I’ve cried in the bathroom because I don’t like to worry my daughter.
“It gets to you.
“I dreaded hearing the letterbox going.
“It’s very stressful, especially when you can’t do anything about it.
“It’s not on when you’re worried about where your next meal’s coming from, to be harassed all day, every day for money you’ve told them you don’t have.”
Anne Pardoe, head of policy at Citizens Advice, said: “It’s clear the cost-of-living crisis hasn’t gone away.
“Millions of people are battling to keep their heads above water.
“It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by money worries, especially in January.
“But the most important thing to remember is that you’re not alone and there is help available.”
She said some “simple changes” to the breathing space scheme “like offering longer protection and harsher punishments for creditors who break the rules, would help more people get back on track”.
Citizens Advice commissioned Opinium to survey 2,000 adults in problem debt in England and Wales for its research, which took place in September and October 2025.
Here are some tips from Citizens Advice for people who are worried about debt:
1. Collect and organise all debt-related documents to create a full list of all your debts. Remember that not paying bills such as rent, mortgages, energy bills and council tax can have particularly serious consequences.
2. Try not to feel overwhelmed when seeing all your debts written down. The important thing is that you are taking steps to sort debts out. You can then contact creditors to discuss options to deal with the debt.
3. Citizens Advice can help people to check eligibility for benefits and financial support and give advice on the next steps.
Other free debt help organisations may also be able to offer support.