Welcome to Advice NI

The Independent Advice Network, providing advice to those who need it most.

Freephone advice helpline

0800 915 4604

Email us for advice

[email protected]

Face to face advice

Please contact an Advice NI member.

For non-advice-related queries, email:

[email protected]

Help and advice

  • Benefits

    We can provide advice on a range of benefit issues. You also find out information on benefits for carers, those with disabilities, being out of work, bereavement, housing, and more.

  • Money & Debt

    We can provide advice on personal debt and business debt, and we have a range of self-help resources, including factsheets and money management tools.

  • Cost of living

    On this page we outline some of the ways in which you can access additional support and offer advice on managing your bills in light of the current cost of living crisis. If you are still unclear about the support you might be able to access, local advice agencies and the Advice NI helplines are here to help make things clearer.

  • Move to UC

    ‘Move to UC’ refers to the UK government’s plan to move ‘legacy’ benefit claimants on to Universal Credit (UC). Universal Credit is designed to replace benefits such as income-based JSA and ESA, Income Support, Housing Benefit, and Child and Working Tax Credits.

  • EU Settlement Scheme

    The EU Settlement Scheme deadline has passed. If you still need to apply, we can provide free advice and support to assist you to make a late application.

  • Family

    Find out information on different benefits and entitlements for families including Child Benefit, Maternity Allowance, and Tax-Free Childcare.

Get Local Advice

If you need face-to-face advice, contact an Advice NI member.

Advice NI members are spread across Northern Ireland.

Find an advice agency

How we've helped people

Debt Service helps client deal with unaffordable debt, enabling him to make a fresh start

The client is in their 20s, single with no dependants. He has recently lost his job and is now in receipt of Universal Credit while looking for another job.

Health worker has income reduced due to COVID

A client approached Advice NI for debt advice as they had £37.000 in unsecured debt.

A case study from the Welfare Reform team

A client rang Advice NI’s helpline in March 2022. The client has a rare neuroimmune disorder but she had exhausted her statutory sick pay period.

Helping a Vulnerable Client with Mortgage Debt

This lady contacted the Advice NI Debt Service with mortgage arrears of around £1,500. The client worked part-time but her husband died suddenly last year and her son sustained a brain injury at around the same time last year. 

Construction business considering options with assistance from Business Debt Service after Covid hits income

A construction business owner considering the company’s viability due to the financial impact of Covid contacted Advice NI’s Business Debt helpline for guidance. 

Our Tax and Benefits Service helps client get debt suspended for one year

A client contacted Advice NI after receiving a letter from Child Benefit advising they had an overpayment of £5000.

A client contacted us as she had been struggling to make a Universal Credit since April

She was told she did not have the right to reside in Northern Ireland and therefore didn’t have the right to claim Universal Credit.

Debt Service helps client with health problems deal with their debt

A client approached our Debt Service for help as they were struggling to deal with their debt repayments due to suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.

A client considered his options

The client called our Debt Service. Although he had no priority debts, the client was concerned about an unmanageable amount of non-priority debt.

A fresh start for man struggling to cope with debt after vicious assault

A client contacted the Advice NI Debt Service seeking advice on how to deal with his spiralling debt. 

Man rebuilding his career after failed business praises Business Debt Service for expert assistance

A business owner whose finances were catastrophically hit last year has praised the expert advice received from the Business Debt Service within Advice NI during a “dark time in his life”.

A face-to-face case study from the Advice NI Debt Service

This client was originally referred by the Macmillan Benefits Service to the Advice NI Debt Service. The client was a young mother of two young children with substantial debt. This included a Housing Benefit overpayment of over £20k and Choice Housing arrears of £5k.

Residency conditions that must be met in a Debt Relief Order application

A debt adviser recently had a Debt Relief Order case that initially seemed straightforward as the client met all the relevant criteria for this option.

However, the client disclosed that she had recently returned from Canada where she had resided for more than two years.

Self Employed Taxi Driver’s income is reduced due to Covid, struggling to pay his debts

A client recently contacted Advice NI’s Money & Debt helpline. In this case he was a self-employed taxi driver. Due to Covid restriction he could not work for several months and his income had been greatly reduced.

Contractor who lost work during pandemic builds the foundation for a debt-free future

This client reached out to Advice NI’s Debt Service by email. The client lives with his partner with no dependents and no assets.

This client attended an Advice NI Tax & Benefits Service outreach advice clinic in a stressed and anxious state

The client was a single, self-employed cleaner earning roughly £8,300 per year.

Fitness business weighs up options

This client, 46, worked in the fitness & health industry. She was single with no dependents and lived in private rented accommodation. 

Full and final settlement gives client financial freedom from creditor

Advice NI’s Debt service recently helped a client who had been pursued by a debt collection company for a number of years in respect of a mortgage shortfall balance, which was just shy of £100,000.

​A sole trader who ran into difficulties with HMRC

A sole trader who had an engineering business ran into difficulties with HMRC when he received notice that he had liabilities totalling over £30,000 due for unpaid PAYE, VAT and self-assessment.

Upcoming training

We have a range of online, blended and face to face training available.

Find a training course

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