Free debt help in Canada, and how to use it
There is a lot of free, regulated, genuinely useful debt help in Canada, and it is buried under advertising for products. This page has no affiliate links on it at all. It is just the list.
Updated July 25, 2026National, free, and regulated
- The OSB debt questionnaire. A free self assessment run by the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy. It asks about your situation and points you toward the right category of solution. Nobody calls you afterwards.
- The official Licensed Insolvency Trustee search. The federal register of every licensed trustee in Canada, searchable by location. Use it to find a trustee directly and to verify anyone who contacts you claiming to be one.
- Credit Counselling Canada members. The list of accredited not for profit credit counselling agencies. FCAC specifically names this association as one to check an agency against.
- FCAC, Getting help from a credit counsellor. The government's own checklist for vetting an agency, including the questions to ask about fees and qualifications.
- The Canadian Association for Financial Empowerment, which FCAC also names as an association to check an agency against, and in Quebec the ACEF network, whose member list is published by the Coalition des associations de consommateurs du Quebec.
Between the OSB questionnaire, one free counselling appointment and one free trustee consultation, you can get three independent reads on your situation without spending a dollar. Very few people do all three, and the ones who do tend to make better decisions.
Not for profit credit counselling, and what to ask
A not for profit credit counselling agency can help you build a budget and, if it fits, set up a debt management plan where you make one payment and the agency distributes it to your creditors, often with interest reduced or waived by agreement. The first appointment is normally free.
FCAC's own vetting questions, worth asking word for word:
- Is the first consultation free?
- What services does the agency provide?
- Will the agency give me a written proposal describing how it will help?
- What support will it provide to improve my money management skills?
- Will it give me monthly statements of payments made on my behalf?
- What are the counsellor's qualifications, training and years of experience?
That last one matters more than it sounds. FCAC notes that credit counsellors are not legally required to have any specialised training. Membership of a national association is the practical proxy for standards, which is why checking the member list is not a formality.
FCAC states that simply talking to a credit counsellor will not affect your credit score. Enrolling in a debt management plan is a different matter and is generally reported by participating creditors, so ask for the reporting treatment in writing before you sign.
Source: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, read July 25, 2026.
Free Licensed Insolvency Trustee consultations
A Licensed Insolvency Trustee is the only professional in Canada legally permitted to administer a consumer proposal or a bankruptcy. Trustees are licensed and supervised by the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy, and the first consultation is free.
Two things people get wrong about this. First, seeing a trustee does not commit you to filing anything. Second, a trustee has a duty to explain your full range of options, including the ones they earn nothing from. Many consultations end with a budget and a referral to a credit counsellor.
Take three things to the meeting: a list of every debt with balances and rates, your last two pay statements or a realistic monthly income figure, and a rough monthly budget. With those, you leave the meeting with real numbers rather than a general impression.
FCAC has published the specific claims that should end a conversation. A company should never guarantee to cut your debt by a large percentage, never promise your creditors will negotiate, never claim it can stop a wage garnishment or a lawsuit, and never present itself as part of a government programme when it is not.
One hard line worth memorising: only a Licensed Insolvency Trustee may administer a consumer proposal or a bankruptcy in Canada. Any company that offers to file one for you, for a fee, is charging you to walk you to a trustee you could have seen for free.
Province by province
Collection agencies, debt settlement companies and payday lenders are regulated provincially, so your provincial consumer affairs office is the place both to check a licence and to complain. Ontario publishes its collection rules directly, and other provinces publish equivalent guidance.
| Where you are | What is free and specific to you |
|---|---|
| Ontario | Consumer Protection Ontario publishes the collection agency rules and takes complaints. Ontario collection agencies must be registered with the province. |
| Quebec | Budget and credit counselling is largely delivered by the ACEF network, and the Office de la protection du consommateur handles consumer complaints. |
| Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island | These provinces also operate the Orderly Payment of Debts programme, a court supervised consolidation route under the federal Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. Ask a local not for profit counselling agency whether it applies to you. |
| Everywhere else | Your provincial or territorial consumer affairs office licenses collectors and payday lenders and accepts complaints. FCAC's payday loan guidance directs consumers to that office to confirm a lender is licensed. |
We are deliberately not listing phone numbers here, because those change and a wrong number in a moment of stress is worse than no number. Search for your province's consumer affairs office by name, and confirm you are on a government domain before you enter anything.
How to tell free help from a sales funnel
An upfront fee before anything has been done for you. A guarantee of a specific debt reduction percentage. A claim that a company can stop a garnishment or a lawsuit when it is not a trustee. Pressure to decide on the call. A promise to remove accurate negative information from your credit report, which is not possible. A vague implication of being part of a government programme.
The reliable test: ask whether the organisation is a Licensed Insolvency Trustee firm, a member of an accredited not for profit association, or neither. If the answer is neither, ask what exactly you are paying for that you could not get free from the two above.
Common questions
Is credit counselling really free in Canada?
The initial counselling appointment at a not for profit member agency is normally free, and FCAC advises you to ask that question directly before you book. Ongoing debt management plan administration usually carries a monthly fee, so ask what it is, ask whether it can be waived or reduced, and get the answer in writing.
Is a Licensed Insolvency Trustee consultation free?
Yes, the first consultation is standard practice and free, and a trustee is required to explain all of your options, not only the insolvency filings they administer. Trustees are licensed and supervised by the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy and you can verify any trustee in the official federal register.
What is the difference between a credit counsellor and a Licensed Insolvency Trustee?
A Licensed Insolvency Trustee is federally licensed and is the only person in Canada who can legally administer a consumer proposal or a bankruptcy. A credit counsellor is not licensed by the federal government, cannot file an insolvency, and works on budgeting and debt management plans. Both are useful. They are not interchangeable and neither is a substitute for the other.
Do I have to pay someone to file a consumer proposal?
You pay the trustee's fee, but it is a fixed federal tariff and it is paid out of the money you are already committing to the proposal, not on top of it. You should never pay a separate referral company a fee to introduce you to a trustee, because you can find and contact any trustee yourself for free.
Where do I complain about a debt company that misled me?
Collection agencies and debt settlement companies are regulated provincially, so start with your provincial or territorial consumer affairs office. If a federally regulated bank is involved, FCAC handles complaints about market conduct after you have gone through the bank's own complaint process.
Sources
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Getting help from a credit counsellor. Source for how to vet an agency and which associations to check. Read July 25, 2026.
- Credit Counselling Canada, Members. The member list of accredited not for profit agencies. Read July 25, 2026.
- Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy, Find a Licensed Insolvency Trustee. The official federal search tool. Read July 25, 2026.
- Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy, debt questionnaire. A free federal government self assessment tool. Read July 25, 2026.
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Using a debt settlement company. Source for the risks, the prohibited promises, and the rule that only a Licensed Insolvency Trustee may administer a proposal or bankruptcy. Read July 25, 2026.
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Dealing with a debt collector. Source for your rights and what to write down when a collector calls. Read July 25, 2026.
- Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy, Consumer proposals. Source for the $250,000 debt limit and the five year maximum term. Read July 25, 2026.
- Government of Ontario, Stop collection agency calls. Source for Ontario contact rules. Page last updated October 17, 2025.
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