Debt Free Advice

What Debt Free Advice does

Debt Free Advice is a London-wide partnership of FCA-regulated charities, led by Toynbee Hall (registered charity 211850, company limited by guarantee 20080), that provides free expert debt advice to Londoners facing financial difficulty. Founded in 2006 and headquartered at 28 Commercial Street, London, the organisation operates through a network of 18 partner advice charities delivering services across more than 30 face-to-face advice centres and 40 video advice kiosks located in libraries, community centres, and food banks. In 2025/26 the partnership secured £24.4 million in client financial gains - the highest annual total in its 20-year history - while serving between 13,000 and 24,000 clients per year depending on reporting period.

The service portfolio spans multiple delivery channels: a telephone helpline (0800 808 5700, open 7 days a week 8am-8pm), video chat, WhatsApp messaging, and a mobile application on iOS and Android. Core products include Video Advice Kiosks (soundproof booths with locked iPad devices for private video consultations), the Better Off Calculator (a benefits entitlement tool powered by the external api.betteroffcalculator.co.uk API), and structured guidance on formal debt solutions including Debt Management Plans, IVAs, Debt Relief Orders, Bankruptcy, Administration Orders, and the government's Breathing Space scheme. A specialised vertical, Macmillan Money and More, extends the service to people affected by cancer in London through partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support. The underlying technology stack relies on iOS-locked kiosk devices, LanguageLine for live translation, Dot Digital for email, and dedicated translated webpages in Polish, Bengali, Gujarati, Urdu, and Spanish.

Debt Free Advice generates no revenue from clients - all advice and debt management plans are provided at no charge. The organisation is funded by the Money and Pensions Service (primary funder) and supported by the Mayor of London, with Macmillan Cancer Support funding the specialist cancer programme. Distribution is community-led, relying on partnerships with Citizens Advice centres, Law Centres, healthcare settings, food banks, and libraries across London, supplemented by organic digital channels (SEO, blog content, social media, and review platforms such as Trustpilot at 4.8/5 and Feefo at 4.6/5). The business model is therefore grant-funded charitable service delivery rather than commercial revenue generation.

Name

Debt Free Advice

Legal name

Toynbee Hall

Website

https://debtfreeadvice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Debt Free Advice is a London-wide partnership of FCA-regulated charities, led by Toynbee Hall, providing free expert debt advice through 30+ centres, 40 video kiosks, and digital channels, serving Londoners with debt and financial wellbeing needs since 2006.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Debt Advisory Services

NAICS

Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522), Other Nondepository Credit Intermediation (52229)

akta.pro primary industry

Credit Counseling & Debt Management Plans (DMP) (FSAKAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Literacy, Debt Counseling & Default Prevention (EDALAJAK), Fee-Only Advisory (FSAEAAAL)

Keywords

• Debt advisory services
• Financial counselling
• Debt management
• Money advice
• Credit counselling

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Charitable Funding: Debt Free Advice is a free service for clients, funded entirely by the Money and Pensions Service and supported by the Mayor of London. The organization is a registered charity (Toynbee Hall, charity number 211850) and is FCA authorized and regulated. No revenue is generated from clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Debt Free Advice is a partnership of FCA-regulated charities that delivers free, impartial debt advice to Londoners across multiple channels including face-to-face advice centres, a telephone helpline, video advice, WhatsApp, a mobile app, and a network of more than 40 self-service Video Advice Kiosks. It also delivers the Better Off Calculator benefits tool and, in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support, the Macmillan Money & More service for people affected by cancer, helping clients access debt solutions such as Debt Management Plans, IVAs, DROs, Bankruptcy, Administration Orders, and Breathing Space.

Product overview

Debt Free Advice is a London-wide partnership of FCA-regulated charities led by Toynbee Hall, offering free expert debt advice through multiple channels. The core offering is personalised debt advice delivered via a distributed service network spanning face-to-face advice centres, a telephone helpline, video chat, WhatsApp messaging, and a network of 40+ self-service video advice kiosks. The service portfolio includes a mobile app, an online Better Off Calculator for benefit entitlement checks, and specialist support through the Macmillan Money & More programme for cancer patients. For formal debt solutions, advisors guide clients through options including Debt Management Plans (DMP), Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVA), Debt Relief Orders (DRO), Bankruptcy, Administration Orders, and the government's Breathing Space scheme. Advice is available in multiple languages through LanguageLine translation services and dedicated translated webpages in Polish, Bengali, Gujarati, Urdu, and Spanish.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Face-to-Face Debt Advice Centres In-person debt advice delivered through advice centres operated by the 18 partner charities covering all 32 London boroughs and the City of London, providing free help to Londoners with debt problems.
• Telephone Debt Advice Helpline

Quantifiable outcome

• £24.4 million in client financial gains secured in 2025/26
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Toynbee HallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner and parent organization of Debt Free Advice. A registered charity (211850) and company limited by guarantee (20080). Authorised and regulated by the FCA. Employs advisors and controls the database for the partnership.
• Citizens Advice BrentcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner advice charity providing face-to-face debt advice services as part of the Debt Free Advice network.
• Citizens Advice BromleycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner advice charity providing face-to-face debt advice services as part of the Debt Free Advice network.
• Citizens Advice Hammersmith and FulhamcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner advice charity providing face-to-face debt advice services as part of the Debt Free Advice network.
• Citizens Advice LewishamcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner advice charity providing face-to-face debt advice services as part of the Debt Free Advice network.
• Citizens Advice SouthwarkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner advice charity providing face-to-face debt advice services as part of the Debt Free Advice network.
• Citizens Advice SuttoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner advice charity providing face-to-face debt advice services as part of the Debt Free Advice network.
• Citizens Advice WestminstercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner advice charity providing face-to-face debt advice services as part of the Debt Free Advice network.
• Mary Ward Legal CentrecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner organization providing legal advice services as part of the Debt Free Advice network.
• NucleuscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner advice organization providing debt advice services as part of the Debt Free Advice network.
• RCJ AdvicecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner advice organization providing debt advice services as part of the Debt Free Advice network.
• South West London Law CentrecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner Law Centre providing legal advice services as part of the Debt Free Advice network.
• Financial Conduct AuthoritycoreOthersRegulatory body that authorises and regulates Debt Free Advice and its partner charities to provide debt advice services.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PayPlan: Free debt-advice service funded by the Money and Pensions Service, providing Debt Management Plans and informal arrangements via telephone and online. Directly comparable as a MaPS-funded DMP provider with overlapping client base and regulatory standing.
• Citizens Advice: National network of free advice centres providing debt, housing, benefits, and employment advice. Comparable as a free, FCA-regulated debt-advice provider with face-to-face delivery, and notably the parent organization of several partner charities in Debt Free Advice's network (Brent, Bromley, Hammersmith & Fulham, Lewisham, Southwark, Sutton, Westminster).
• Christians Against Poverty (CAP): UK charity providing free debt advice, money coaching, and insolvency services through a national network of church-based centres. Comparable as a free, FCA-authorized debt-counseling provider with face-to-face community-rooted delivery.
• Money Advice Plus: Charity providing free debt advice including specialist telephone and face-to-face services, with a focus on vulnerable clients. Comparable as a free FCA-regulated debt-counseling charity serving similar client segments.
• National Debtline: Funded by the Money and Pensions Service and operated by the Money Advice Trust, providing free debt advice via telephone and webchat across England, Wales, and Scotland. Directly comparable as a MaPS-funded free debt-advice provider competing for the same funder and overlapping client base.
• StepChange Debt Charity: The UK's largest free debt-advice charity, providing Debt Management Plans, IVAs, DROs, and bankruptcy referrals via telephone and online channels. Directly comparable to Debt Free Advice as a free, FCA-regulated debt-counseling service, though operating nationally rather than London-only.

Emerging players

• Turn2Us: National charity helping people in financial hardship access benefits, grants, and charitable support, with an online benefits-grant search tool. Comparable as a free financial-wellbeing service with overlap in the unclaimed-benefits and grant-identification capability (akin to Debt Free Advice's Better Off Calculator).
• Money Wellness: Free debt-advice service offering DMPs, IVAs, and DROs with strong digital self-serve tools and white-label advice solutions. Comparable as a MaPS-funded free debt-advice provider with a more digital-first delivery model.

Others

• Toynbee Hall: Parent charity and lead legal entity of Debt Free Advice (registered charity 211850, FCA authorized). Provides the organizational infrastructure, employs the advisors, and controls the database for the partnership — making it operationally inseparable from Debt Free Advice itself.
• Money and Pensions Service (MaPS): UK arms-length body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions that funds free debt advice nationally. Not a competitor but the primary funder and strategic counterpart for Debt Free Advice and most of its direct peers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DebtFreeAdvice_
• Facebookfacebook.com/DebtFreeAdviceUK
• Instagraminstagram.com/debtfreeadvice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/debtfreeadvice

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Debt Free Advice