What the 2025 figures show
89,130 people used Breathing Space in 2025 to pause debt enforcement and interest for 60 days — the highest annual total since the scheme launched in May 2021, and a 15% increase on 2024. The Insolvency Service publishes monthly Breathing Space registration data alongside its insolvency statistics.
This is a similar level to 2024 but the highest annual total since the scheme was launched on 4 May 2021.
What Breathing Space is
The Debt Respite Scheme, commonly known as Breathing Space, gives someone in problem debt temporary legal protection from most creditor action. There are two types:
- Standard Breathing Space — 60 days of protection, available to anyone receiving regulated debt advice who cannot repay their debts.
- Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space — available to people receiving mental health crisis treatment. Protection lasts for the duration of treatment plus 30 days.
What the protection covers
During a Breathing Space:
- Most creditors cannot contact the person about the covered debts
- Most enforcement action is paused
- Interest, fees and charges on covered debts are frozen
Not all debts are covered. Court fines, child maintenance, student loans and certain other debts remain outside the scheme. The Insolvency Service publishes a detailed list of qualifying and non-qualifying debts.
How Breathing Space is accessed
Breathing Space can only be applied for through a regulated debt adviser who is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. The adviser assesses the person's circumstances and, if Breathing Space is appropriate, enters the application onto the Breathing Space register maintained by the Insolvency Service.
UK Debt Team does not administer Breathing Space applications. Free regulated debt advice is available from MoneyHelper, StepChange, Citizens Advice and National Debtline.
What Breathing Space is not
Breathing Space is not a formal debt solution. It does not write off debts. It is a temporary protection period during which the person can work with a regulated debt adviser to decide on a long-term approach to their debts.
At the end of the Breathing Space period, creditors may resume contact and enforcement action on any covered debts that have not been addressed through a debt solution or repayment arrangement.
How the data is published
Breathing Space data is sourced from the Breathing Space register and published by the Insolvency Service as part of the monthly individual insolvency statistics release. Numbers are not seasonally adjusted as the time series is not yet long enough to support reliable seasonal modelling.