PayPlan
PayPlan is a UK-based FCA-authorised free debt advice provider (trading as Totemic Limited, est. 1992) serving individuals struggling with unmanageable debt across England, Wales, and Scotland through IVAs, DMPs, Trust Deeds, DROs, and bankruptcy advice, funded by creditors rather than clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersGrantham, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What PayPlan does
PayPlan is a UK-based free debt advice provider, trading since 1992 as a brand of Totemic Limited and operating under FCA authorisation (Number: 681263) with offices in Grantham (headquarters) and Edinburgh. The company serves UK residents struggling with unmanageable unsecured debt, offering the full spectrum of formal and informal debt solutions: Debt Management Plans (DMP), Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVA) including a self-employed variant, Trust Deeds, Debt Relief Orders (DRO), Bankruptcy/Sequestration, Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS), Administration Orders, Debt Settlement, Repayment Arrangements, and the Scottish Minimal Asset Process (MAP). Delivery is multi-channel: a freephone helpline (0800 316 1833), website, live chat, WhatsApp, SignVideo BSL video interpretation, and Relay UK, supported by self-serve digital tools — PlanFinder (online debt-solution finder), BudgetSmart (budgeting and bill-reduction tool), and the PayPlan Plus client portal. Reach into vulnerable segments is deepened through partnerships with Bipolar UK, GamCare, Refuge, and the National Bereavement Service, and the business is listed as a trusted organisation on the government-affiliated MoneyHelper debt advice locator.
The technology stack is a regulated advice platform rather than a software product: core systems combine telephony, web self-service, and client portal infrastructure, with data inputs from Experian (credit reference and soft-search identity verification) and Open Banking (income and expenditure confirmation with explicit client consent). The corporate structure consists of the FCA-authorised parent Totemic Limited plus three wholly-owned operating subsidiaries — PayPlan Partnership Limited and PayPlan Bespoke Solutions Limited (both England-based, staffed by Licensed Insolvency Practitioners NT Payne and MA Smith) and PayPlan (Scotland) Limited (Edinburgh-based). No AI/ML capability is disclosed across products, integrations, or staffing.
PayPlan does not charge clients for advice. Revenue is generated under a managed-services model in which creditors and third parties fund the administration of debt solutions (per arrangements described on the company's "How We're Funded" page), supplemented by ongoing fees from the active client book. FY2025 disclosed turnover was £15.1m (nearly 30% growth) on an active client book of 18,259 and 5,270 new IVAs (36% growth), with the company employing 101–250 people. The company received an investment from Palladian Investment Partners on 2025-10-03.
PayPlan firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PayPlan
- Legal name
- Totemic Limited
- Website
- https://payplan.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- PayPlan is a UK-based FCA-authorised free debt advice provider (trading as Totemic Limited, est. 1992) serving individuals struggling with unmanageable debt across England, Wales, and Scotland through IVAs, DMPs, Trust Deeds, DROs, and bankruptcy advice, funded by creditors rather than clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PayPlan industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer Debt Advice Services
- NAICS
- Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199), Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Credit Counseling & Debt Management Plans (DMP) (FSAKAJAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Debt Management Plans (DMP) Administration (FSAEAFAB)
Keywords
Where PayPlan is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grantham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
PayPlan business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Debt Advice Services: PayPlan provides free debt advice to consumers. The company is funded through arrangements with creditors and third parties, as referenced in their 'How We're Funded' page. Revenue appears to come from fees charged to creditors for administering debt solutions rather than from clients directly.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free debt advice service - no cost to customers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
PayPlan product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PayPlan provides free, FCA-authorized debt advice and a comprehensive suite of debt solutions to UK individuals struggling with unmanageable debt. Core offerings include formal insolvency solutions (IVAs, Trust Deeds, DROs, Bankruptcy, Sequestration), informal arrangements (DMPs, Debt Settlements, Repayment Arrangements, Administration Orders, DAS, MAP), and digital self-service tools (PlanFinder, BudgetSmart, PayPlan Plus client portal). The company is funded through arrangements with creditors rather than fees from clients.
Product overview
PayPlan is a debt advice and solutions provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of debt management products and services. The core offering consists of multiple formal and informal debt solutions including Debt Management Plans (DMP), Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVA) with a Self-employed variant, Trust Deeds (Scotland), Debt Relief Orders (DRO), Bankruptcy, Debt Settlements, Administration Orders, Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS), Repayment Arrangements, Minimal Asset Process (MAP), and Sequestration. Supporting the core debt solutions are digital tools including BudgetSmart (budget and savings tool) and PlanFinder (online debt solution finder), alongside the PayPlan Plus client portal. The company operates through multiple subsidiaries: PayPlan Partnership Limited (IVA services), PayPlan Bespoke Solutions Limited, and PayPlan Scotland Limited. Services are delivered via telephone, online chat, WhatsApp, and SignVideo BSL interpretation, with free advice provided to clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BudgetSmart: Financial tool and resource hub helping users increase income and reduce bills across categories including car insurance, home insurance, healthcare, pet care, electricity, and water bills
- PlanFinder
Products and services
- Debt Management Plan (DMP)
Quantifiable outcome
- 36% increase in new IVAs to 5,270 in 2025
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use PayPlan
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
PayPlan technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature4 records
PayPlan partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Bipolar UKminorPayPlan works alongside Bipolar UK to connect clients with wider support for mental health challenges that often intersect with financial difficulties. Referrals are made when clients may benefit from specialized mental health support.
- GamCareminorPartnership to support clients dealing with gambling-related debt issues. PayPlan refers clients to GamCare for gambling harm support when gambling addiction is identified as a contributing factor to debt problems.
- RefugeminorPartnership to support clients experiencing domestic abuse, which often involves financial control and economic abuse. Referrals connect clients with specialist domestic abuse support services.
- National Bereavement ServiceminorPartnership to provide bereavement support resources to clients who may be dealing with both grief and financial difficulties, often requiring debt advice during challenging life circumstances.
- SignVideocoreSignVideo provides British Sign Language interpretation services enabling deaf and hard-of-hearing clients to access PayPlan's debt advice services through video interpretation. The partnership includes SignVideo App and SignVideo Web options.
- MoneyHelpercorePayPlan is listed as a trusted organization on MoneyHelper's debt advice locator service. MoneyHelper is a free, impartial government-affiliated service providing information on debt help and advice sources.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
PayPlan competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- StepChange Debt Charity: The UK's largest debt advice charity providing free debt help including DMPs, IVAs and DROs. Directly comparable to PayPlan in product set and target customer (distressed UK consumers), with similar FCA-regulated status and creditor-funded model.
- Citizens Advice: National advice charity providing free debt advice across England, Wales and Scotland alongside broader consumer issues. Directly comparable as a free, FCA-aligned debt advice provider serving the same UK consumer segment with overlapping solution coverage.
- National Debtline (MoneyHelper): Free debt advice service funded by the Money and Pensions Service, offering phone and web debt advice plus DMP setup. Directly comparable to PayPlan as a UK-wide, government-affiliated, free debt advice channel with overlapping solution set.
- Creditfix: UK IVA provider that has historically been one of the largest individual voluntary arrangement packagers in the UK market. Directly comparable to PayPlan's IVA business, competing for the same distressed consumer segment and creditor fee pool.
- Money Wellness: UK free debt advice provider offering DMPs, IVAs, DROs and bankruptcy advice across England and Wales. Directly comparable to PayPlan in target customer, product mix, and free-to-consumer funding model via creditor fees.
- Debt Advice Foundation: UK charity offering free, confidential debt advice and DMP setup across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Comparable to PayPlan as a free debt advice provider operating under similar FCA-aligned standards with overlapping solution set.
- Aperture (formerly McCambridge Duffy): UK insolvency practitioner firm specialising in IVAs and debt solutions. Comparable to PayPlan Partnership Limited as a competitor in the IVA origination market serving the same distressed UK consumer base.
- McCambridge Duffy Insolvency Practitioners: Long-standing UK IVA and debt solution provider. Comparable to PayPlan Partnership Limited as a licensed insolvency practitioner competing for the same IVA origination flow from distressed UK consumers.
Others
- Totemic Group (parent holding structure): The parent entity above PayPlan that also owns other consumer financial services brands. Comparable as the corporate parent rather than a true competitor, included for completeness given its role in PayPlan's ownership structure.
- MoneyHelper (Money and Pensions Service): Government-affiliated free service that lists PayPlan as a trusted debt advice provider. Comparable as the umbrella referral ecosystem within which PayPlan operates; not a direct competitor but the primary distribution and trust signal channel for the UK debt advice market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PayPlan social profiles
Digital presencePayPlan compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
PayPlan financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PayPlan leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
PayPlan subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
PayPlan funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PayPlan M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PayPlan
What does PayPlan do?
PayPlan provides free, FCA-authorized debt advice and a comprehensive suite of debt solutions to UK individuals struggling with unmanageable debt. Core offerings include formal insolvency solutions (IVAs, Trust Deeds, DROs, Bankruptcy, Sequestration), informal arrangements (DMPs, Debt Settlements, Repayment Arrangements, Administration Orders, DAS, MAP), and digital self-service tools (PlanFinder, BudgetSmart, PayPlan Plus client portal). The company is funded through arrangements with creditors rather than fees from clients.
Is PayPlan a public or private company?
PayPlan is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was PayPlan founded?
PayPlan was founded in 1992. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is PayPlan based?
PayPlan is headquartered in Grantham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does PayPlan make money?
One revenue line is on record: debt Advice Services.
Who are PayPlan's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are StepChange Debt Charity, Citizens Advice, National Debtline (MoneyHelper), Creditfix, Money Wellness, Debt Advice Foundation, Aperture (formerly McCambridge Duffy) and McCambridge Duffy Insolvency Practitioners. Others are Totemic Group (parent holding structure) and MoneyHelper (Money and Pensions Service).
Does PayPlan have an API?
No public API is recorded for PayPlan.
What industry is PayPlan in?
PayPlan's product category is Consumer Debt Advice Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAJAH, Credit Counseling & Debt Management Plans (DMP), with a secondary code of FSAEAFAB, Debt Management Plans (DMP) Administration. Its NAICS code is 5223 and its SIC code is 6199.