To apply for an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA), you typically need to provide several documents, including proof of income, expenses, debts, and assets. You may also need to provide bank statements, tax returns, and a detailed list of your creditors. It's best to consult with a licensed insolvency practitioner who can guide you through the process and let you know exactly which documents are required in your specific case.
When you enter into an IVA to repay your unsecured debts, your monthly payments will be based on your IVA proposal which is drawn up using information you provide.
But what documents do you need to provide for an IVA and how important is it to submit the correct information?
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about IVAs including what an IVA is, how an IVA works, what documents you need to provide for an IVA, why you need to provide so much paperwork, if your partner needs to provide any documents for your IVA and if you need to provide any documents for your annual review.
What is an IVA?
An Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) is a formal agreement between you and your creditors to repay your unsecured debts through a series of monthly payments based on what you can afford. IVAs can’t cover debts secured on assets such as a secured loan on your home.
IVAS can be set up by a debt management company but can only be managed by an Insolvency Practitioner (IP) whose role it is to oversee your IVA from start to finish, provide expert debt advice and deal with your creditors on your behalf to ensure they receive the money they are owed.
Typically, an IVA will last five years but may be extended to six years if you miss a payment or have a payment break.
After this time, you will be discharged from your IVA and declared debt-free with your remaining debt written off.
It is also worth noting that, if you receive Payment Protection Insurance compensation, it is classed as an asset and must be paid into your IVA.
Reduced By 72% * monthly payments are based on individual financial circumstances The IVA process is relatively straightforward with just a few simple steps required to get your arrangement up and running: The first step is to schedule a meeting with a licensed Insolvency Practitioner who will review your financial situation and determine whether an IVA is the right debt solution for you at this time. If they don’t deem you suitable for an IVA, they may suggest an alternative debt solution such as a Debt Relief Order (DRO) or Debt Management Plan (DMP). They will then send an IVA proposal containing the terms of your arrangement to your creditors to review. The next step involves meeting with your Insolvency Practitioner and creditors – often virtually – to discuss the proposed terms of your IVA. During this meeting, 75% of your creditors must agree to the proposed payment plan before your arrangement can go ahead. Some of your creditors may also be signed up to an IVA protocol which contains a set of guidelines on how an IVA should be drawn up. When both parties are happy with the proposed terms of your IVA, your arrangement will officially begin. It is worth noting that all of your creditors will be included in your IVA even if only 75% agreed. From this point, your creditors will be prohibited from contacting you further to recover the money they are owed and all interest on your debts will be immediately frozen. IVA is debt solution which allows you to write off up to 81% of unsecured debt with government legislation When you apply for an IVA, you will be asked to provide some documents to help your Insolvency Practitioner draw up the terms of your arrangement. This includes: When your Insolvency Practitioner is calculating how much you can afford to pay towards your IVA every month, they will base their decisions on the paperwork you have provided. By supplying as much accurate information as possible, you can help your Insolvency Practitioner to ensure you are only paying what you can afford after essentials have been taken care of. Furthermore, if your personal circumstances change at any point during your arrangement (such as your income increasing or decreasing), you must inform your Insolveny Practitioner as soon as possible with failure to do so potentially resulting in a situation where your IVA fails. Because IVAs are designed to help the individual in debt repay what they owe, your partner won’t be required to submit any documents for your IVA. However, if you share a property with your partner, you may be required to declare their income and provide proof in the form of a wage slip or benefits statement. When drawing up your IVA proposal, including your total household income may also boost your chances of approval and help your Insolveny Practitioner calculate what you can realistically afford to pay. When you enter into an IVA, you will be required to attend an annual review for every year you are paying into your arrangement. For most people, this will amount to a total of five annual reviews. The purpose of an annual review is for your Insolveny Practitioner to confirm you can still afford to make your monthly payments and whether you could potentially afford to pay more into your IVA. In most cases, the only document you’ll need to provide for your annual review is a resubmitted income and expenditure budget and the last three months’ wages slips and bank statements to back-up your claim. However, Insolvency Practitioners are also within their right to ask you to submit additional documents if they feel it is necessary in order to assess your financial circumstances. "Professional staff - they were understanding and non-judgmental. Fantastic, quick service too. Would recommend to anyone!" Michael, Sunderland Maxine McCreadie Maxine is an experienced writer, specialising in personal insolvency. With a wealth of experience in the finance industry, she has written extensively on the subject of Individual Voluntary Arrangements, Protected Trust Deed’s, and various other debt solutions. Our debt experts, and insolvency practitioners continually monitor the personal finance and debt industry, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. Current Version March 8 2023 Written by Edited byHere's an example of how we can help
Let's say you owe...
Bank Loans
£11,152
Short Term Loans
£2,226
Phone Bills
£302
Credit cards
£2,395
Store cards
£648
Phone Bills
£1,408
Overdraft
£172
Total amount
£18,303
Customer monthly repayments before and after an IVA
How does an IVA work?
Insolvency Practitioner meeting
Creditors meeting
IVA commences
What documents do I need to provide for an IVA?
Why do I need to provide so much paperwork?
Why choose Creditfix?
Does my partner need to provide any documents for my IVA?
Do I need to provide any documents for my annual review?
How we helped Michael
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Maxine McCreadie
Maxine McCreadie