Can you skip or pause a debt review payment?

Do not assume you can skip a debt review payment. If you expect a shortfall, contact your existing counsellor before the due date where possible. If the payment has already been missed, contact them promptly so the account position and available next steps can be assessed.

What to tell your counsellor

• The amount and date of the payment at risk.
• What you can currently afford and when income is expected.
• Why the shortfall happened and whether it may continue.
• Any payment already made, returned or paid separately.
• Any new notice or letter from a creditor.

Attach evidence of changed income or the unexpected expense where available. Use the emergency checklist if you need help preparing the figures.

A request is different from an approved change

Your counsellor must check the existing plan, affected accounts and legal stage. Ask what options can be considered, whose agreement or approval is required and whether any costs apply.

Do not treat silence, a conversation or submitting documents as approval to stop paying. Ask for written confirmation of any change, including the amounts, dates, accounts covered and what happens afterwards.

If you have already missed a payment

Send the payment history and any creditor correspondence to your counsellor. Ask which accounts are affected, whether any payment is outstanding and what action is needed now. Share a summons or other legal document promptly.

A missed payment does not simply cancel debt review or remove the record from your credit profile. Read the separate completion and withdrawal guide if you are asking about leaving the process.

Keep the payment records clear

Before paying a creditor separately or changing how money is distributed, discuss it with your counsellor. Keep proof of payments and check the allocations on statements. A clear record helps when a creditor queries an amount.

If the problem will continue

Prepare an updated household budget. A once-off expense and a lasting income reduction need different assessments. Use the affordability calculator to organise your figures and read the retrenchment guide if you have lost work.

The debt counselling guide explains the ongoing support to ask about. A lender's ordinary payment holiday is a separate topic, covered in the cost of postponing payments.