Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Debt relief order definition

What does Debt relief order mean? An administrative insolvency remedy for individuals with low income, minimal assets and relatively low unsecured debts, offering a short moratorium on enforcement and, if eligibility continues, discharge of qualifying debts at the end. In England and Wales, a Debt Relief Order (DRO) is a statutory process set out in the Insolvency Act 1986 (as amended, including provisions introduced by the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007) and the Insolvency Rules. It is applied for through an approved intermediary to the Official Receiver and is a low-cost, non-court alternative to bankruptcy or an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA). Key features include...

Debt Relief Orders (England and Wales): Eligibility, Application via Approved Intermediaries, Debtor Duties, Effects, Objections, Revocation and Offences

Published by a LexisNexis Restructuring & Insolvency expert

Practice notes

What is a DRO?

Debt Relief Orders are a newer, streamlined route to clear the slate for people who cannot afford to go bankrupt. A DRO is granted in relation to qualifying debts. A qualifying debt is one that is:

for a liquidated amount payable now or at a future date
unsecured
not an excluded debt

Under the Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016 (IR 2016), SI 2016/1024, r 9.2, an excluded debt means:

any fine for an offence, or an obligation arising from an order in family proceedings, or a maintenance assessment or maintenance calculation under the Child Support Act 1991
any obligation under a criminal confiscation order
student loans
damages relating to the death of, or personal injury to, any person
a crisis loan or budgeting loan made under the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992

Who may apply?...

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Simon Passfield

Guildhall Chambers

Simon is a specialist insolvency barrister who undertakes litigation and advisory work in all aspects of corporate and personal insolvency law. He has been consistently recognised as a leading junior in this field by Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 and has appeared in a number of reported insolvency cases.In the last year, Simon has been involved in the leading cases concerning the effect of bankruptcy on pension rights (Horton v Henry [2015] 1 WLR 2488; Re X (Application for Income Payments Order) [2014] BPIR 1081), has acted for a trustee in bankruptcy in a variety of applications in a complex multi-million pound bankruptcy involving the concealment and disposal of assets by a serially non-cooperative bankrupt (Wood v Lowe [2015] EWHC 2634 (Ch)), has acted successfully for majority creditors in seeking to remove liquidators in a multi-million pound,...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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