Struggling to keep up with your debt each month? This guide covers the warning signs and the first steps to take. It also explains your options: a payment arrangement, a consolidation loan, debt review, or administration and sequestration.

Missing payments starts with late fees and calls. If it carries on, it can lead to a letter of demand, a summons, a court judgment and a garnishee order on your salary. Find out what happens at each stage, and why acting early leaves you with more options.

This is a plain-language walk-through of debt review under the National Credit Act. It starts with your application to a registered debt counsellor and ends with your clearance certificate. It also covers which debts can be included and the rules you follow while under debt review.

There are several ways to bring your monthly debt payments down. This post compares payment arrangements, consolidation loans and debt review. It shows how spreading out your debt lowers each payment, and explains the trade-offs before you decide.

Going under debt review adds a note to your credit record. While it’s there, you can’t take out new credit, but it isn’t the same as being “blacklisted”. Learn how your payment history still counts, when the note is removed, and how to rebuild your credit afterwards.

A consolidation loan is new credit. Debt review restructures the debt you already have. This side-by-side comparison explains who qualifies for each, the costs and risks, and which one may suit your situation.

Only debt counsellors registered with the National Credit Regulator (NCR) can put you under debt review. Learn how to check a counsellor’s NCR number in a few minutes. The post also lists the warning signs of debt help scams, such as guaranteed results or requests to pay them directly.