Minimal Asset Process (MAP)

What the Minimal Asset Process is

The Minimal Asset Process (MAP) is a streamlined, lower-cost route into sequestration in Scotland, designed for people on low incomes with very limited assets. It's a form of sequestration — meaning your debts are written off — but it has simpler rules, a lower application fee, and a shorter discharge period than full administration sequestration.

MAP was introduced in 2015 under the Bankruptcy and Debt Advice (Scotland) Act 2014 to provide an accessible route to debt relief for the most financially vulnerable. In broad terms, MAP is the Scottish equivalent of a Debt Relief Order (DRO) in England and Wales — though the eligibility criteria and rules differ in important ways.

How MAP works in practice

The MAP process is deliberately streamlined to make it accessible to people who couldn't afford full sequestration or a Trust Deed:

1. Money advice. Like all routes into sequestration, you must obtain advice from a qualified Money Adviser first. This is free through Citizens Advice Scotland and many council money advice teams.
2. Eligibility check. The Money Adviser confirms you meet the MAP criteria — qualifying benefits or very low income, debts within the £1,500-£25,000 range, no significant assets.
3. Application. You complete the MAP application and pay the £50 fee (waived if you receive certain qualifying benefits).
4. Award. The Accountant in Bankruptcy reviews and (if eligible) awards MAP. From this point your debts are frozen and creditors cannot pursue you.
5. 6-month moratorium. A 6-month period during which the AiB monitors your case. Creditors can still raise objections during this time.
6. Discharge. After 6 months, you're discharged from the qualifying debts — they're written off.

Who MAP is for — the eligibility criteria

MAP has strict eligibility requirements designed to target it at people with limited resources:

• You live in Scotland (MAP is exclusively Scottish)
• Your total qualifying debts are between £1,500 and £25,000
• You don't own your home (or other significant property)
• Your total assets are under £2,000, with no single item worth more than £1,000
• You don't own a car worth more than £3,000 (or use a reasonably necessary vehicle, in which case it can be retained)
• You meet one of the qualifying income criteria: receiving qualifying low-income benefits, OR your income is at a level where you couldn't make meaningful contributions to repaying the debts
• You haven't been bankrupt or in a Trust Deed in the previous 5 years
• You haven't had a previous MAP award in the previous 10 years

What MAP costs

The MAP application fee is £50. The fee is waived if you receive any of these qualifying benefits: Income Support, Jobseekers' Allowance (income-based), Employment and Support Allowance (income-related), Universal Credit (subject to specific conditions), Pension Credit, and certain others. Many Money Advisers can also help with fee waiver applications if you're close to the threshold.

Unlike a Trust Deed or full sequestration, there are no ongoing fees or contributions. Once MAP is awarded, you don't make further payments to creditors.

How long MAP lasts

The active period of MAP is just 6 months. During this time:

• Your debts are frozen — creditors cannot add interest or charges
• You cannot take out new credit over £2,000 without disclosing the MAP
• The AiB monitors the case; creditors can object on limited grounds
• You must cooperate with the AiB and notify any changes in circumstances

After 6 months, you're discharged from qualifying debts. The MAP remains on your credit file for 6 years from the award date, and your name remains on the Register of Insolvencies for 2 years after discharge.

What happens to your assets in MAP

Because the eligibility criteria require minimal assets to begin with, MAP doesn't typically involve asset realisation:

• Personal belongings: Essential personal items, household goods, clothing and tools of trade are protected.
• Car: If reasonably necessary and worth under £3,000 (or under £6,000 if you have a disability-adapted vehicle), it can usually be retained.
• Savings and other assets: The total must be under £2,000, with no single item over £1,000. Items above these limits would push you out of MAP eligibility into full sequestration.
• Pensions: Approved pension schemes are protected.
• Bank accounts: Your bank may close your account on receiving notice of MAP, so opening a basic bank account elsewhere is often advisable.

Which debts MAP can cover

MAP covers most unsecured debts that are owed at the date of application:

• Credit cards, store cards and catalogue debts
• Personal loans, payday loans and doorstep loans
• Overdrafts
• Council tax arrears
• Certain HMRC debts and tax credit overpayments
• Utility arrears

The same exclusions apply as in full sequestration: court fines, child maintenance arrears, student loans, TV licence debts, and debts obtained by fraud cannot be written off. Secured debts (mortgages, car finance you're continuing to pay) sit outside MAP.

How MAP affects your credit, home and work

MAP is recorded on the Register of Insolvencies (publicly searchable) and stays on your credit file for 6 years from the award date. While in MAP and for some time after, getting credit will be very difficult. Most lenders will refuse applications outright.

Certain professions have specific restrictions — financial services, law, and some directorships — but the impact is lower than for full sequestration because MAP discharges in just 6 months.

If your circumstances change during MAP

You're required to notify the AiB of any significant changes during the 6-month MAP period. If you come into money or assets that would push you over the eligibility thresholds, MAP may be converted to full sequestration or revoked. Cooperation throughout is essential.

How UK Debt Team can help

We're an introducer, not a debt advice service. Deciding whether MAP is right — versus full sequestration, a Trust Deed, or DAS — is the role of a regulated Scottish debt adviser, not us.

What we do is connect people seeking help with regulated solution providers. There's no cost or obligation to use the “Speak to a MAP specialist” button below. If you'd rather go straight to free regulated debt advice, Citizens Advice Scotland and the other organisations listed below are an excellent place to start.