Bill Paying Services

A for-profit debt consolidation service adds up all your bills and then adds a service fee. This service does not lend you money to pay off your bills. For-profit bill paying services are not legal in many states. There are also non-profit organizations which offer budget counseling and/or debt repayment programs at no charge or for a small fee.

Questions to ask:

• What services do you provide?
• Do you have educational materials? If so, will you sent them to me? Are they free? Can I access them on the internet?
• In addition to helping me solve my immediate problems, will you help me develop a plan for avoiding problems in the future?
• What are your fees?
• Do I have to pay anything before you can help me?
• Are there monthly fees? What's the basis for the fees?
• What is the source of your funding?
• Will I have a formal written agreement or contract with you?
• How soon can you take my case?
• Who regulates, oversees and/or licenses your agency?
• Is your agency audited?
• Will I work with one counselor or several?
• What are the qualifications of your counselors?
• Are they accredited or certified? If not, how are they trained?

You may contact your local Cooperative Extension Service office who conducts educational programs on credit-related issues or the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (800-388-2227), a non-profit consumer credit counseling agency nationwide with over 1,400 centers for additional information.

This information is general in nature, and is not a reliability report on any particular company.