Brief

UK Insolvency Service Offers £90 Debt‑Relief Order Fee Refunds

Customers who paid a £90 fee for a debt relief order between 2016 and April 2024 but did not submit their application may now receive a refund.

By Felo News Desk · Published Mon, 28 Sep 2026 20:37:55 GMT

The Insolvency Service has announced it is refunding the £90 application fee for debt relief orders (DROs) to people who paid the fee but never completed the application. The refund programme covers fees paid from 2016 up to the fee’s removal in April 2024.

Refund eligibility and amount

Those who paid the fee in full, overpaid, or made multiple incomplete applications may receive a full £90 refund or a proportionate amount. The total fund available for refunds is about £450,000, and the Service has already processed refunds for roughly 1,200 of the 5,100 customers it has contacted.

Contact and application process

The Service has sent letters to affected customers several times since November 2025, but some contact details may have changed. Customers are urged to check the instructions in the correspondence to apply for a refund.

Background on DRO fees

A £90 application fee for a DRO was scrapped in 2024. DROs are a type of personal insolvency that helps people with problem debts to get back on track. The Insolvency Service’s senior leader in the personal insolvency team, Caroline Shanahan, said the service wants to reassure customers that this is a genuine effort to correct an oversight.

Key facts

The Insolvency Service is refunding up to £90 to customers who paid a DRO fee but did not complete the application (independent.co.uk)
The refund fund totals about £450,000 and covers 5,100 customers (independent.co.uk)
The £90 DRO fee was scrapped in 2024 (independent.co.uk)
Refunds have been processed for about 1,200 customers so far (independent.co.uk)

Background

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has warned consumers about debt‑advice scams and urged people to seek free, impartial help. The Insolvency Service’s refund programme follows the FCA’s guidance that debt advice should never cost money.

Timeline

2016-01-01 — Customers began paying the £90 DRO fee
2024-04-01 — £90 DRO fee was scrapped
2025-11-01 — Insolvency Service began sending letters to affected customers
2026-09-28 — Refund programme announced

Why it matters

The refunds help correct a financial burden placed on people who engaged with debt‑relief services but never completed the process, potentially easing personal financial hardship.