Struggling with bank charges: what help can you ask for?

You can ask for help before a missed payment. Explain what you need to keep paying for essentials.

The answer in 2 lines. Tell your bank if overdraft interest or repeated failed payments are making daily life unaffordable. Ask its financial support team to assess your circumstances and explain available help in writing. Possible measures include reduced or waived interest and an affordable repayment arrangement; there is no automatic standard hardship package or universal monthly cap. A fee-free basic account may help manage future income without an overdraft, but it does not erase existing debt. Get free advice if essentials are at risk.

Prepare your request

Contact the bank through secure banking or the number on your statement and say clearly: 'I am experiencing financial difficulty.'
Explain what changed, such as reduced earnings, illness, bereavement or higher essential costs, and how this affects your ability to use the account.
Prepare a realistic picture of income, essential spending and debts. Do not offer repayments that leave you short for food, housing or energy.
Ask for the proposed support, its review arrangements and any consequences for your account or credit record in writing.

Stop: danger

Cannot cover essentials? Explain this immediately. A repayment proposal needs to leave room for essential living costs and priority debts.
Considering another loan? Get independent advice before replacing an overdraft with borrowing you may struggle to repay.
A basic account will not cancel old debt: arrange how that debt will be managed separately.

What your bank should consider

Banks must monitor overdraft use and identify patterns that may indicate harmful costs or financial difficulty. You do not need to wait for a particular number of missed payments before asking for help.

The FCA's overdraft repeat-use rules explain the support framework. Read the intervention section to understand the options: these can include reducing or waiving interest, allowing more time and adjusting payment arrangements. Measures should be sustainable and reviewed. Ask the bank why its proposal is suitable for your actual budget.

Could a fee-free basic account help?

A basic account lets you receive income, use a debit card and make regular bank payments without an overdraft or cheque book. It may be available when you do not qualify for a standard account.

Use MoneyHelper's basic account guide to check eligibility, accepted identity documents and what to do after a refusal. Basic accounts are free to open and use for ordinary banking, but some additional services or foreign-currency transactions can cost extra. A bill provider may still charge if its payment fails.

What not to do

Waiting for the bank to apply a special hardship label before explaining your circumstances.
Agreeing an unaffordable repayment just to end a difficult conversation.
Assuming that changing the account receiving your income makes an old overdraft disappear.
Ignoring a proposed reduction in your overdraft limit: explain promptly if it would leave you unable to meet essential costs.

Protect your essential spending

List rent or mortgage, council tax, energy, food and other essential costs before deciding what you can repay. The Citizens Advice overdraft guide for England explains priority debts, discussing interest relief and managing income when an overdraft is difficult to repay.

Use its sections matching your situation to prepare for the bank conversation. If your income is being absorbed by an overdraft, discuss with an adviser whether a separate basic account would help and how to maintain essential payments.

Get advice, or challenge the response

Use MoneyHelper's free debt advice locator to choose telephone, online or face-to-face support. Follow the contact instructions and prepare your statements, income and bills.

If the bank has not treated you fairly, complain formally. Follow the Financial Ombudsman Service's complaint guide to check eligibility and use its linked form. Explain what help you requested, what the bank knew and why its response did not address your circumstances.

Good to know

The banking support framework applies across the UK. Debt remedies and advice procedures can differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; use advice for where you live.
Tell the bank if illness, disability or communication difficulties affect how you can deal with it. Ask for a contact method you can use.
Keep seeking practical support while a complaint is considered; a complaint does not itself settle the debt.

Illustrative example: Aisha's working hours fall and her account stays overdrawn. She gives the bank a realistic budget and asks it to review interest. Before accepting a repayment arrangement, she checks that she can still afford rent and food, with help from a free debt adviser.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 6 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for the overdraft support framework, basic account features and free advice routes; medium for the support or account an individual will receive, which requires an assessment. The FCA repeat-use chapter consulted includes updates published in 2026. Interest relief, refunds and debt cancellation are not promised.