Money When Things Go Wrong: what help exists, who to ring, and what each one can and cannot do
For anyone whose money has stopped stretching to the end of the month. Eight chapters set out, in plain English, what help exists and how each piece works: which bills carry the worst consequences, the benefits people most often have not checked, what energy and water companies and phone providers must do when you fall behind, where the free debt advice is and how to tell it from firms that charge, the crisis fund in each nation, and the scams and illegal lenders that target people under pressure. It explains how things work and where free help is; the decisions stay yours, and nobody on these pages will judge you.
- 113 A4 pages in 8 chapters: first steps, benefits, energy, water, phone and broadband, free debt advice, emergency help, scams and loan sharks.
- Written for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: Council Tax and Rates, Breathing Space and Scotland’s moratorium, each nation’s crisis fund, and the separate Northern Ireland energy and water rules.
- Rates and rules are the 2026/27 ones, from GOV.UK, the DWP, Ofgem, Ofwat, Ofcom and the FCA, with every source listed at the end of each chapter and checked November 2026.
- Free, emailed to you: enter your email and we send the download link, with an optional tick for occasional money-help emails.
When you’d reach for it
The week the post has gone unopened. The day a letter mentions court, bailiffs, disconnection or eviction, when the book’s own answer is to ring a free adviser rather than read on. The night before a call to the energy supplier or the water company, when you want to know what you can ask for by name. The five weeks waiting for a first Universal Credit payment. And the moment a stranger offers a loan, a rebate or a debt write-off for a fee.
What it does that a web search can’t
The help is real but scattered across GOV.UK, Ofgem, Ofwat, Ofcom, three devolved governments and a dozen charities, much of it written for England only. This book gathers it in one place and keeps the nations apart: Northern Ireland has Rates not Council Tax and no household water bills; Scotland has a six-month moratorium rather than Breathing Space; England’s Household Support Fund became the Crisis and Resilience Fund in April 2026. It also says plainly what has been announced but is not yet open.
Written for people under pressure
Nothing in it tells you what to claim or what to pay this month; those are your decisions, with a free adviser who knows your whole situation. It says, more than once, that you have done nothing wrong, that getting debt advice does not affect your credit file, and that advisers listen and never judge. Every chapter ends with a who-to-contact table, and the Samaritans and the NHS urgent mental health numbers for each nation sit beside the money ones.
What you’ll be able to do
- Sort what you owe into debt emergencies, priority and non-priority debts, and know why the lists differ between nations
- Prepare for a call to a creditor, energy supplier or water company knowing what you can ask for by name and what they must consider
- Run a free benefits calculator with the right figures to hand, and know which benefits are not means-tested
- Tell free debt advice from fee-charging firms using the FCA’s four red flags, and know what Breathing Space, Scotland’s moratorium and each formal debt solution do and do not do
- Find your nation’s crisis fund, how fast it aims to pay and what has to be paid back
- Spot a loan shark, a loan-fee scam or a fake rebate, and know that borrowing from an illegal lender is not a crime on your part
Look inside
The cover, the start of chapter 1 and the contents. The free sample has the first chapter in full.
What’s inside
8 chapters across 113 pages. Read it straight through, or go to the chapter you need.
This chapter has been about the people who would make a hard time worse. They are a small part of the picture. The much bigger part is in Chapter 1, where the first calm steps are set out, and in Chapter 6, where free, confidential advisers are listed for every part of the UK. Nobody who rings those numbers is judged or charged. Whatever has happened, including borrowing from someone you now wish you had not, you have done nothing wrong. Start with one phone call.
Who it isn’t for
If a letter mentions court, bailiffs, disconnection or eviction, do not start with a book: the book’s own advice is to ring one of the free advice lines first, because some advisers can speak to the court, bailiff or creditor for you. If you need personal debt advice now, the same is true; this guide explains how things work, and a free adviser from the services it lists for every nation is the person to decide anything with. It is information, not advice. And if your bills are covered and you are a month behind on one card, a budget and one phone call may be all you need.
Questions
Does it tell me what to claim or which debt solution to choose?+
No. It explains how each benefit and each debt option works, who runs it, what it costs and what it does to your credit file, and then says the decision is yours, with a free adviser who knows your whole situation. GOV.UK’s own caution, that claiming Universal Credit can end older benefits even if the claim is not approved, is there too.
Is it up to date?+
Rates and rules are the 2026/27 ones, checked against official sources in November 2026, and the book marks what has been announced but is not yet in force: the energy Debt Relief Scheme, the WaterSure reforms, Breathing Space for Northern Ireland and Ofgem’s review of prepayment meter rules. Rates normally change each April, so check the official page before acting on any figure.
Why is it free, and what happens to my email address?+
Because it is for people under money pressure. Enter your email and we send you the download link. There is one optional tick to also receive the money-help emails; leave it unticked and you get the book and nothing else.
What exactly do I get?+
A PDF ebook, A4, 113 pages, that you download straight after paying, to read on any phone, tablet or computer or to print. It isn't a printed book and nothing is posted. We also email you a link to your downloads.
Does it work in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?+
Yes. Where the rules or services differ between the four nations, the file says so and points to the right official service for each.
Will it go out of date?+
It names the official service to check rather than printing fees or amounts that change. If we update the file, your download link gives you the current version.
Money When Things Go Wrong is general information. It is not legal, financial or medical advice. Written by Tom Calder for PreparedBritain, an independent publisher not affiliated with HM Government.
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