Debt support and assistance
If you frequently experience difficulties paying your bills, seeking professional help can be a valuable next step.
There are various organizations and support services available to assist you with this.
You have received a letter from us and you know that the invoice needs to be paid. But you are unable to do so. There may be more going on: other outstanding bills, income that has fallen away, or the feeling that you can no longer see the wood for the trees.
That is nothing to be ashamed of. Financial problems happen to a great many people, often through circumstances nobody asks for. What does help: taking action, even if that first step is a difficult one. On this page you can read where to turn for support.
Get in touch with us
This may be the last thing you feel like doing, but it is the most important: let us know that you are unable to pay.
An outstanding invoice that is left untouched will inevitably become a bigger problem. The claim increases and costs may be added that could have been avoided. If you contact us, we can look together at what is possible.
What we can often do:
- Arrange a payment plan: you pay in instalments, at a pace that suits your situation
- Grant a deferral: for example, until the moment you have an income again
- Take your situation into account: if you tell us there is more going on, we will factor that in
There is nothing to be gained from forcing you into an arrangement you cannot keep up. An agreement that is realistic is the best outcome for you and for us.
Arrange a payment plan straight away via the Ultimoo chatbot or call 0348-493611.
Free and anonymous advice: Geldfit
Not sure where to start, or would you rather first talk to someone who wants nothing from you? Then Geldfit is a good first step.
Geldfit is part of the Dutch Debt Relief Route (Nederlandse Schuldhulproute) and helps people with money worries find suitable support in their own area. You can call 0800-8115 free of charge and anonymously, or get in touch by chat or WhatsApp. They listen to your story, think along with you and, if you wish, put you in touch with support close to home.
On geldfit.nl you can also take a short test yourself. In just a few minutes it shows where you stand and which step makes sense in your situation.
Free: 0800-8115 (Mon–Fri, 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.)
Debt assistance through your municipality
Do you have several debts, or are arrears mounting up with different parties? Then your municipality is the place to go. Every municipality in the Netherlands is obliged to help residents with debts, and that help is free of charge.
A debt counsellor maps out your entire situation: all your debts, your income, your fixed costs. The next step is to look for a solution that covers everything. For example, a debt settlement in which arrangements are made with all your creditors at once. That is something you could never achieve with separate arrangements per creditor.
Search for "schuldhulpverlening" on your municipality's website, or call your municipality's general phone number.
Let us know that you are seeking help
Are you already going through debt assistance, or about to apply for it? Tell us. We can take that into account in our process, for example by holding off on further steps while your application is being handled.
Is your debt counsellor already working on an arrangement? Then they can contact us directly. We are connected to the Schuldenknooppunt (the Dutch debt data exchange), which allows debt counsellors and creditors to exchange information securely and quickly. That saves you paperwork and speeds up the process.
Why this matters to us
Ultimoo collects claims on behalf of our clients, and we take that responsibility seriously. But we also believe that debt collection should never push someone further into difficulty.
That is why we are a member of the Dutch Association of Certified Debt Collection Agencies (NVI) and why we were involved in the development of the Quality of Debt Collection Services Act (Wet kwaliteit incassodienstverlening, Wki). And it is why this page is here: we would rather see you find the right help than have your case sit with us unresolved.
In the vast majority of cases we work things out together, without a judge becoming involved. That chance is greatest if you get in touch.
Have you received a letter from us and want to sort something out right away?
There are several ways to do so. On our Resolve page you can see exactly how to get in touch with us and which options are available for settling an outstanding payment.