For all sorts of people who are looking to get, or who have already had an IVA, the question of credit availability is a key one. Will you be able to find? How simple will it be to get credit? Will your IVA prevent me from getting credit in the coming years? Find answers to all these questions on this page.

This article has been put together by IVA experts to help answer the multiple queries we hear every day about IVA and credit availability. Whether you are considering getting an IVA, working though one at the moment, or have just been discharged from your IVA, we would like to address the hundreds of concerns you have about your access to credit, now.

There are loads of general rules and truths which will help answer your questions, however, in these financial times, and with banking the way it is, the topic can get a big complex.

Gone are the years in which creditors paid no attention to peoples' debts before lending. One of our IVA advice team once spoke to a couple who had more than £300,000 worth of debts. No creditor would give credit to anyone with severe debts in this economic climate. Due to this, the debts that caused you to get an IVA might stop your access to credit.

As soon as you are in an IVA there are regulations relating to further borrowing on an unsecured basis. Usually that may mean that the person in the IVA is unable source credit of more than £500 without permission. This part of the IVA is just about working through the commitments made to sort out the previous debts.

Making sure that your credit file is up to date and that default notices made before or during your IVA have been labelled "satisfied" is vital as you reach the last few parts of your IVA.

Once your IVA is completed you'll probably discover that your credit score seems seriously abysmal. Highly disciplined use of a high interest credit card should help improve your credit score, but if you default on a payment you could be dropped right back into debt. Fortunately, your IVA will not stick on your credit record for more than a year; however your credit rating will take tonnes of effort to pull up out of the doldrums.

You might need to make sure that you boost your credit rating, amass as large a deposit as you can muster, to improve your income and get your credit rating back to a normal point if you want to get involved with big ticket lending, for example, if you want to get a mortgage. Your IVA might no longer be on record but it could be a set back as most large creditors will want you to let them know any insolvency events, like an IVA.

Whether you're thinking about getting an IVA, working through your IVA or have terminated your IVA, the IVA Forum has something to offer to you.