Hi snuf_88.

There is no need to pay any kind of upfront fees. The majority of trust deed firms (including those featured on this site), the site advice team here, or the Money Advisers at your local CAB or Local Authority will all be prepared to work through your circumstances with you without paying any upfront fee.

The only point at which you need to start paying fees is if you go ahead and sign a trust deed. The fees for that would be taken from the trust deed contributions.

Hi snuf-88

You do seem to be in a bit of a dilema. You have a lot of circumstances which are about to change, a new baby, an uncertain relationship. I feel a TD is not ideal for you at the moment on those grounds alone. If you enter a TD and are unable to maintain paymemt after only a few months, your Trustee & creditors are not going to be chuffed. It sounds like you will have a lower diposbale income, especially if you go on maternity leave. There are other options that may be cheaper, but you really need to speak to someone to go over all these options. Whstever you do, don't pay for that advise, it does not make it any better! As TDA says, the CAB and local authority are free, as are most initial meeting with insolvency firms.

Do you think bankruptcy is my best option?

It could be, but theer are also different ways of running your bankruptcy; whether you choose an IP or use the Accountant in Bankruptcy. Your choice would depend on whether you are working or on SMP - timing could make a huge difference to you, so try and arrange a meeting with someone.