Completing your IVA

The final year

In the final year of a standard five-year IVA, your Supervisor will conduct the final annual review and, if your proposal contains an equity clause and you own property, arrange a valuation of your property. If there is equity above the threshold, you will be asked to attempt a remortgage. If remortgaging is not possible, the arrangement may be extended by up to 12 months. If equity is below the threshold or release is genuinely not possible, the IVA proceeds to completion.

Continue making your monthly contributions until you are told in writing by your Supervisor that the arrangement is complete. Do not assume the IVA has ended because you believe you have made all your payments.

The completion certificate

When your Supervisor is satisfied you have complied with all terms, they will issue a completion certificate. This confirms that you have fulfiled your obligations, the IVA is closed, and the remaining unsecured debts included in the IVA are written off.

Which debts are written off

At completion, all unsecured debts included in your IVA are legally written off — the remaining balance after dividends paid through the arrangement. This applies even if creditors have received only a small number of pence in the pound. Once written off, creditors cannot subsequently pursue you for those debts, even if your financial circumstances improve later.

Debts not included in your IVA are not affected. You remain liable for any excluded debts (mortgage, student loans, court fines) and any debts taken out after the IVA was approved.

The Insolvency Register

When your IVA completes, the Insolvency Service updates the Individual Insolvency Register to show the arrangement has been completed. The entry is then removed from the publicly searchable register, typically within three months of the completion date.

Your credit file after completion

Your IVA is recorded on your credit file by the three main credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) for six years from the date it was approved — not from the date it completed. For example, if your IVA started in 2020 and completed in 2025, the credit file entry will be removed in 2026. Individual accounts included in the IVA may also show as settled or partially satisfied; these entries typically expire six years from the original default date. After the six-year period, your credit file should no longer show the IVA.

Life after your IVA

Completing an IVA is a significant achievement — you are free of the included debts and can begin to rebuild. In the period while the IVA still shows on your credit file, mainstream credit may be harder to obtain, but you can begin to rebuild by using a credit-builder card responsibly and paying it off in full each month, maintaining a clean payment record on all active accounts, registering on the electoral roll, and checking your credit file for accuracy. There is no legal restriction on opening bank accounts, renting a property, or taking on employment after an IVA.