The 12-month DRO period

Once your DRO is approved, it normally lasts 12 months. This is called the DRO period, sometimes the moratorium. During this year you stop making payments toward the debts and interest listed in the DRO, and your creditors cannot take action to collect them. You still need to keep paying your normal ongoing commitments, like rent and household bills, and any debt that was not included in the DRO. At the end of the 12 months, the debts in the DRO are written off and you no longer have to pay them.

The rules during your DRO

A DRO comes with a few restrictions during the 12-month period. The main one people ask about is borrowing: you cannot obtain credit of £500 or more without telling the lender you have a DRO. There are others too, such as not acting as a company director without the court's permission. Breaking the restrictions is a serious matter, so it is worth knowing them.

You will not be told when it ends

This catches people out. You do not get an official notice when your DRO period finishes. If you are not sure of the date, you can check your entry on the Individual Insolvency Register, which shows the end date. If you want proof it has ended, print your register entry, because the entry is removed about three months after the DRO ends.

What happens to your credit file

Here is the part that surprises people. Although the DRO period is only 12 months, the DRO stays on your credit file for six years from the date it was approved. Because the marker runs from approval, it remains on your file for roughly five years after the 12-month period ends. During that time:

• The debts included show as part of the DRO rather than as ongoing balances you owe.
• After the DRO ends, your file should update to show it as discharged or satisfied.
• After six years from approval, the DRO drops off automatically.

Rebuilding after a DRO

A DRO clears your qualifying debts in a year, which is a genuine fresh start, even though the marker lingers. The runway while it sits on your file is the time to rebuild quietly: stay on the electoral roll, keep every bill on time, keep balances low, and check your file is accurate. By the time the six years are up, a steady history means your file is already in good shape rather than starting from scratch. One more thing to know: you cannot apply for another DRO for six years from the date your last one was approved. That is what AfterMy is built for, helping you work out what to do first, in what order, staged around your own dates.