Debt Help: An Overview of Your Options

Debt help: an overview, your options, and next steps

Debt help covers the concrete options you have when debt has become unmanageable, from a payment plan and free debt counseling to debt relief. Lost track of your debt? There are concrete, often free options before it needs to go to court. Here's an overview of your options, what Denmark's RKI register and debt relief actually mean, and when it's time to seek help.

Understand your finances before choosing help

Start with your own figures. Reelt calculates disposable income from your bank statement and shows your fixed costs and spending.

Review the data

Upload bank statements and review transactions and categories without payment.

Unlock figures and report with purchase

Buy the finished version with a one-time payment. Share it with an adviser or use it for your own overview. The purchased version is locked; new analyses require another purchase or an annual subscription.

Reelt is a calculation and documentation tool. Negotiating with creditors or assessing your eligibility for debt relief requires personal advice. See the free advice options below.

How to get an overview of your debt

The first step isn't making a plan. It's gathering the numbers. As long as you don't know how much you owe, to whom, and what you actually have left each month, any plan is a guess.

List every creditor: bank, payday loans, consumer loans, arrears to public authorities, unpaid bills
Note the interest rate and monthly instalment on each debt
Calculate your disposable income: what you actually have left once fixed expenses are paid
Check whether you're listed in RKI, Denmark's register of bad debtors

Reelt calculates your disposable income automatically from your actual bank transactions, so you have an exact number to work from, not a guess.

Your options when debt is hard to manage

There are several paths, and most are worth trying before it potentially goes to a court-ordered debt relief process:

Payment plan (afdragsordning): A direct agreement with your creditor to pay over a longer period or at a lower rate. Should always be in writing. A creditor can't force you into an agreement, but many accept a realistic proposal. See Reelt's guide to payment plans →
Debt consolidation (samlelån): Can make your debt more manageable by combining several loans into one with one rate and one payment. But it often extends the term. That can mean a lower monthly instalment but higher total interest costs, and some loans can't be paid off early without a fee. Calculate the total cost, not just the instalment, before consolidating.
Free debt counseling: Forbrugerrådet Tænk's economic and debt counseling service offers free, independent advice to people with low income and debt, by phone, online, and in person in several Danish cities. See free counseling options ↓
Paid debt counseling: Lawyers and private advisors specializing in debt can help with more complex cases, but typically charge a fee.
Debt relief (gældssanering): A court process where a court can reduce or forgive your debt if you're insolvent and meet the conditions. Typically a last resort.

Read the full guide to debt relief

RKI: what it means for you

RKI (Ribers Kredit Information) is Denmark's largest register of bad debtors. If you're listed, it can make it hard to borrow, rent housing, or take out certain subscriptions.

The listing is normally removed once the debt is paid
You can also be removed by agreement with the creditor
Without payment it's automatically deleted after a maximum of 5 years, but the debt itself remains

Free debt counseling or a payment plan can often resolve an RKI listing faster than waiting out the 5 years.

Source: Experian (the RKI register).

What the bank weighs

Whether you're applying for a new loan, restructuring, or need to document your finances for debt relief, disposable income is the number that keeps coming up. Banks have no single fixed requirement, but the Danish FSA and Consumer Ombudsman's guidance from November 2025 says a lender may, for example, take as its starting point the rates in the current debt-relief order. For comparison, the Danish Debt Agency's 2026 collection rates are 7,880 kr./month for singles and 13,360 kr. for couples.

Sources: the Danish FSA and Consumer Ombudsman's guidance on creditworthiness assessment and the Danish Debt Collection Agency's 2026 rates.

See the full breakdown of disposable income and the bank

Free debt counseling

Several Danish organizations offer free, impartial debt counseling. Here are some of them:

Forbrugerrådet Tænk's Debt Counseling

Free advice on debt and personal finance, phone, video, email and in-person meetings in 8 Danish cities. Phone 25 56 00 33.

Settlementet

Free debt counseling in Copenhagen for people on transfer income, student grants (SU) or low income.

Dansk Folkehjælp

Free, impartial financial and debt counseling, run in partnership with municipalities across the country.

The Salvation Army (Frelsens Hær)

Free debt counseling in Aalborg and Nørrebro, Copenhagen, delivered by volunteer law students.

Reelt is not a debt counseling service. We are a documentation tool. You're welcome to use your Reelt report to prepare for a meeting with one of the counseling services above.

When to seek help

There's no rule for when things are "bad enough" to seek help. The earlier you do, the more options you have. Typical signs it's time:

You're using new loans to pay instalments on old ones
You don't know how much you owe in total
You've received reminders, debt collection notices, or are listed in RKI
Your disposable income is negative or very low, month after month

In all these cases, free debt counseling is a good first step. It costs nothing to ask.

Frequently asked questions about debt help

Where can I get free help with debt?

Forbrugerrådet Tænk's economic and debt counseling service offers free, independent advice to people with low income and debt. You can call 25 56 00 33 or book advice online, and there's in-person counseling in several cities, including Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg.

What's the difference between a payment plan and debt relief?

A payment plan is an agreement with one creditor to pay over time. Debt relief is a court process where a court can reduce or forgive your entire debt across all creditors, if you're insolvent and meet the conditions.

Can I get a loan even if I already have debt?

It depends on your disposable income and your overall finances, not just on whether you already have debt. The bank assesses whether you can realistically afford a new loan on top of your existing debt. If you're listed in RKI, most banks and lenders will decline an application until the listing is removed.

What does debt counseling cost?

Forbrugerrådet Tænk's debt counseling is free. Private advisors and lawyers specializing in debt typically charge a fee, which can be worth it for more complex cases.

Should I consolidate my debt into one loan?

It can make your finances more manageable with one payment instead of several, but consolidation often extends the term, which can mean a lower monthly instalment but higher total interest costs over time. Always calculate the total cost, and check whether your current loans can be paid off early without a fee.

Can Reelt help me if I have debt?

Reelt calculates your disposable income from your actual bank transactions and gives you a bank-ready document you can use in a conversation with your bank, a debt counselor, or as an attachment for debt relief. Reelt doesn't provide debt counseling or legal advice.