IVA Debt Certificate

Now that you have completed your IVA, the Insolvency Practitioner will give you a completion certificate that marks the end of your obligation and frees you from debts and monthly payments.

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Let us look through the salient points about an IVA completion certificate, how it affects your individual voluntary arrangements, and the responsibilities of the insolvency practitioner and the insolvency service.

What is an IVA completion certificate?

An IVA completion certificate certifies that you have successfully finished your IVA and are no longer legally bound by the conditions of your insolvency firm and creditors’ agreement. It means you may begin to enjoy life again, free of stress about debt obligations, and you have the chance to rebuild your credit rating responsibly and prudently.

While this is formally known as an IVA completion certificate, it is essential certification on the insolvency practitioner’s letterhead that you have been discharged from all IVA-related duties. It’s not a tangible document.

After you have your certificate, you can be removed from the public insolvency register, and then you must wait for the IVA to be erased from your credit report.

If your IVA lasts longer than six years, it will appear on your credit record for six years from the date it was formed or until it is completely finished. This implies that if your IVA takes five years to complete, it should be eliminated in another 12 months.

Why is an IVA completion certificate so important?

An IVA completion certificate discharges you from any and all of the legal obligations you had to undertake when you first applied for it. It also means that you will be permanently removed from the insolvency register.

It will take time to rebuild your credit rating and, more importantly, your life. It will most likely entail tiny steps, but it is a process you may want to begin as soon as the completion certificate is granted. Because the IVA reference will be erased six years after it began, it is critical to begin and repair your credit rating. So, if your IVA lasted five years, it will remain on your credit file for another year.

When should I receive my IVA completion certificate?

After the Insolvency Practitioner has completed the administration of your IVA, you usually get your certificate within twelve weeks after the final IVA payment. However, there are several reasons why the IVA completion certificate has not been delivered to your home yet.

Unsettled Disputes

It is fairly unusual for insolvency practitioners to wait until all remaining issues have been resolved before providing an IVA completion certificate. Any compensation you get will very certainly be divided among your creditors.

If all goes according to plan, you should obtain your IVA completion certificate within 6 to 8 weeks of making your last payment. However, this timeframe varies depending on the insolvency practitioner.

Signed Outstanding Claims

Some bankruptcy practitioners may allow you to hand over the proceeds of any future reparation to your creditors in exchange for a fee. The logic is simple: the claim was ongoing at the time of your IVA; thus, any revenues should be split among your creditors in the view of the law. This move should satisfy the insolvency practitioner’s requirements and allow them to provide your IVA completion certificate.

Insolvency Practitioner Review

After you make your last IVA payment, your case will be reviewed by an insolvency practitioner to confirm that all terms and conditions have been followed. It is common for the insolvency practitioner to ask for recent pay stubs, bank statements, and any other relevant paperwork about your income and assets at this time.

The great majority of people who have had an IVA will be relieved to make their final payment, which will allow them to move forward. However, if a delay in delivering an IVA completion certificate was caused by an outstanding PPI claim, there may be ways to remedy the situation.

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How will I receive my IVA completion certificate?

Your Insolvency Practitioner will send you your IVA completion certificate in the form of a letter after you have made your final IVA payment. The Insolvency Practitioner will also notify the Insolvency Service so that you can be removed from the Public Insolvency Register. However, it may take up to three months for you to be removed.

How long does it take to get IVA completion certificate?

Once you have paid your last IVA payment, your IP will go to work, determining whether or not you made all of your agreed-upon instalments. Your IP will give you your IVA completion certificate after they have confirmed that you have completed all of the required payments to your IVA.

After you have paid your last payment, you should get your Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) completion certificate within a few weeks. This takes time depending on the IP and the case’s intricacy. After you make your last IVA payment, you should get your IVA completion certificate within twelve weeks or three months.

What should I do if my IVA completion certificate is delayed?

If you have not received your IVA completion certificate within eight weeks after completing your last payment, the common opinion appears to be that you should inquire. There may be a perfectly logical explanation for the delay in your certificate, but it is the insolvency practitioner’s responsibility to inform you of any issues. A protracted delay not only keeps your name on the insolvency registry but also prevents you from rebuilding your credit rating.

Many people appear to be apprehensive that filing a formal complaint about a delay in getting an IVA completion certificate may result in negative consequences. This isn’t the case at all. Recently, there has been an uptick in complaints in this area, and authorities are treating it very seriously. They recognise that the people involved are nearing the conclusion of what may be difficult times in their life and are eager to get their lives back on track and put the past behind them.

However, being informed that the firm is just too busy is not acceptable. If you do not get your Certificate within two weeks, you have the opportunity to escalate your complaint.

What is the effect of an IVA completion certificate?

An IVA completion certificate is an important document that should always be kept along with other important documents.

The IVA protects an individual if a creditor bound by the IVA files a claim in the future after the IVA has been completed. The IVA completion certificate may also help the individual if they plan to apply for loans or other financial matters in the future as it serves as proof that the IVA has been discharged. However, it is important to remember that the IVA does not assure the bank’s approval, and it still depends on the requirements of the bank.

While the provisions of each IVA will differ, it is crucial to remember that the completion certificate will frequently have little bearing on the supervisor’s obligations and powers under the agreement. This is primarily to ensure that the supervisor retains the authority to issue final dividend payments if, for example, a creditor is delayed to deposit a dividend check.

This can also help to guarantee that any assets seized by the IVA trust are kept inside the trust. Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) claims are an example of such an asset. While PPI claims are no longer viable, many people had discovered that they are entitled to a PPI refund during a period when they were subject to an IVA.

The procedure for dealing with such claims should be explicitly defined in the IVA plan at the outset and agreed upon with the Insolvency Practitioner. As part of the engagement process, the individual will be requested to sign a confirmation of their comprehension of the provisions of the IVA by the Insolvency Practitioner.

Summary

An IVA completion certificate discharges you of your obligations and proves that you have completed the terms of your Individual Voluntary Arrangements. You will receive the completion certificate from your Insolvency Practitioner assuming that there are no further queries or issues that arise after you have made your final IVA payment.

Receiving your completion certificate and making your final IVA payment may free you from your current debt, but it is also a great reminder to plan for your future financial situation. You may be done with monthly payments, but the IVA reference will stay on your credit file for at least six years. This is also a great time to start working on improving your credit rating which may have been negatively affected by the debts you have incurred. Use the six years as your credit rating rebuilding years.

After you have successfully completed your IVA and all the agreed payments, enjoy the ease of burden you have earned.

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IVA Debt Help Information

If you want to know more about the debt help plan of an IVA we have all articles related to individual voluntary arrangements here:

Other Debt Solutions

An IVA is not the only debt solution you have and this is where speaking to a qualified debt advisor is very important.

After speaking to a debt consultant you might realise the best solutions are one of the following:

Make sure you take time to understand all the debt solutions available before making a decision because DMPs (aka debt management plans) are also a popular choice in the United Kingdom.

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