Credit Counselling Services in Canada
Get confidential, non-judgmental, and free credit counselling to help you solve your financial challenges.
Our Results
Almost 30 Years in Service
$700 million in Debt Repaid
Over 1 Million Helped
For Free Credit Counselling, Canada Counts on CCS
Are you struggling to make your minimum payments? Maybe you have debt problems that are affecting your sleep, your health, or even your relationships. Let the Credit Counselling Society help you find financial relief.
If you need non-profit credit counselling, Canadian families and individuals can access some of the best experts for free. Call 1-888-527-8999 or contact us by email or online chat today!
Non Profit Consumer Credit Counselling
We’re a non-profit service that provides consumer debt and credit counselling services across most of Canada. We can help you explore all your options and find the right solution for your situation. Our experienced, professionally certified credit counsellors can also help you:
- Create a spending plan to manage all of your living expenses.
- Get your finances back on track.
- Consolidate your debts in Canada with one monthly payment.
- Save thousands of dollars in interest.
- Stop collection calls from creditors.
Find Out Exactly How We Can Help
by Answering 4 Simple Questions
Not sure where to start in finding help for your specific financial situation? Answer these 4 easy multiple-choice questions to get pointed in the right direction. All you have to do is click the boxes that apply to you and then the green button when you're done.
People We Helped Interviewed on Global TV and CTV News
From time to time, the news media interviews some of the people we helped who are comfortable sharing their stories publicly. Below are three Canadians who shared their experience with the Credit Counselling Society.
Why Choose Our Free Consumer Credit & Debt Counselling Services?
With 98% of our clients surveyed reporting they would recommend our services to others, offices located in communities across Canada, the Better Business Bureau’s highest rating, and award-winning service (over 80 awards), the Credit Counselling Society is one of Canada’s leading credit counselling and debt relief service providers. If you need help with your debts or just want to learn how to manage your money better, contact us today at 1-888-527-8999.
There’s a way out of debt with help
I had just come to the point where I had given up hope, that there’s no way I could ever repay my debt. A friend of mine suggested I reach out, and I thought I’d get some condescending person on the phone lecture me about money, but my counsellor was the most compassionate caring person who became sort of my own personal cheerleader.
Charis
More Information on How the Credit Counselling Society in Canada Works
Since 1996, we at CCS have done everything we can to help our clients regain control over their financial situation — and their lives. To reassure you of the steps we take once we meet with you, here’s a breakdown of how credit counselling services work:
How CCS’s Credit Counselling Works
We typically help around 95% of people who contact us completely free of charge. The only time someone pays for our services is if they decide to go onto our Debt Management Program.
A lot of people view this as a credit card consolidation program since it combines someone’s credit card payments into one affordable monthly payment with either no interest or an interest rate that’s significantly reduced.
While this is a tremendous program that protects peoples’ privacy, allows them to restore their credit, eliminates their debt, and gets their finances back on track as quickly as possible, this is only one of many ways we help people.
We truly believe the best debt consolidation or debt help is the solution that enables someone to get back on the right track as soon as possible while helping them accomplish their long-term financial plans.
Our approach is very different from some commission-focused debt advisors, credit consultants, financial counsellors, and credit advisors. However, we firmly believe when someone is having a difficult time financially, they need to carefully consider all available options and concentrate on what will most help them in the long term.
This is why we don’t pay any of our staff commission — only straight salaries.
Why We Stay Accountable & Qualified in Our Services
To ensure our organization meets the highest national and international standards, CCS partners with several of the most respected organizations in our industry in Canada and North America. These include Credit Counselling Canada and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.
We also report to a volunteer board of directors and are accountable to the Canada Revenue Agency. We’re the only Canadian organization in our industry to annually open its books to an external auditor.
By opening ourselves up to audits and staying accountable, we ensure our organization remains steadfast in providing the best non-profit credit counselling Canadian families and individuals can get. We are determined to remain open and available to any clients who need us for any of our services, such as:
- Providing a certified credit counsellor to guide you through any financial challenges you may be having.
- Setting up and outlining the details of a Debt Management Program for you, helping to ensure you experience financial recovery that lasts for the long term.
- Educating individuals and families about essential financial information, such as basic money management, budgeting, credit health, secured and unsecured debt, and more.
For Free Credit Counselling, Canada Can Rely On CCS
If you’d like to speak with one of our professionally trained Credit and Debt Counsellors, review your financial situation, and see what options you have to get back on track, call us today at 1-888-527-8999. We’re here to help.
The Credit Counselling Society also provides alternatives to bankruptcy in Canada.
Having Trouble With Your Debts?
We can help. Give us a call at 1-888-527-8999 or send us a quick note to call you back and we’ll be in touch to answer any questions you may have about debt. We’ll help you find a solution that works best for you.
Canada Credit Counselling FAQs
Are your credit counselling services really free?
Yes, your credit counselling session with CCS is free of charge, as we are a non-profit organization that helps our clients find the right debt relief option for them. Simply book an appointment with one of our credit counsellors and meet with them to start your journey toward becoming debt-free.
How do I know if CCS's credit counselling services are right for me?
Whether it’s your first option or your last resort, meeting with the Credit Counselling Society is right for anyone who has been experiencing financial struggle for any amount of time. Some signs that meeting with us is right for you are:
- Struggling with bills, loans, or credit card debt.
- Consistently missing your monthly payments.
- Feeling overwhelmed and stressed about your financial situation.
At CCS, we want you to feel welcome to open up about your financial issues, no matter what they may be. Our credit counselling services are available to citizens across Canada. Feel free to contact us online or by phone at 1-888-527-8999.
As the Credit Counselling Society, Canadian individuals and families can expect what kinds of services from your organization?
Consumers across the many provinces of Canada we serve can expect to get debt relief using one of the many services we provide. Here’s a quick list of our key debt and credit counselling services:
- Credit counselling involves direct assistance from one of our certified credit counsellors, who will provide guidance and strategies for debt management. They will answer your questions and give you information so that you can decide which debt relief option is best for you. If you want to improve your financial literacy skills, CCS offers a range of free webinars and self-directed online courses, and if you need help communicating effectively with your creditors to stop collection calls, we help with that, too. As one of the foremost consolidated credit counselling services in Canada, you can trust the Credit Counselling Society.
- Bankruptcy assistance is where our credit counselling professionals explain the process as well as the pros and cons, to help you decide whether you should declare bankruptcy. Filing for bankruptcy is a serious financial decision that isn’t right for everyone, so your credit counsellor can answer your questions, give you a list of trustees you might want to contact, and even help you outline your budget and assets so that you know if bankruptcy is a good option for you or not.
- Our debt consolidation service helps you learn about various debt solutions, such as a debt consolidation loan, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Some options can simplify your payments without borrowing money while others mean borrowing money. But the important piece for all of the options is that you have a realistic budget that helps you achieve your goals, which we’re happy to help you with.
- Debt settlement is a good option for some people, but it can be stressful to negotiate a settlement offer with all of your creditors on your own. Depending on your situation and if you have a lump sum of money available to offer your creditors, one of our credit counsellors can explain how our settlement services work.
- Consumer proposal is the lesser-known service offered by licensed insolvency trustees (LITs) in which you repay part of what you owe. Because it’s a big decision to file a consumer proposal – it can affect your job and credit for years to come – your CCS credit counsellor will go over all of the pros and cons so that you can make an informed decision.
- A Debt Management Program, or DMP, involves a credit counsellor helping you create a budget and together you determine if there’s enough money to repay your debts with a single monthly payment. It doesn’t matter if you have bad credit, and you don’t have to negotiate with your creditors yourself. With your counsellor’s expert assistance and greatly reduced or eliminated interest charges from your creditors, a DMP from CCS can be a great road to debt relief.
What types of debt can you help with?
Our credit counsellors have helped countless clients get out of debt from various sources. Here are a few we have dealt with over our many years of service:
- Credit card debt
- Personal loans
- Non-government student loans
- Unsecured lines of credit
- Payday loans
- Overdrafts
- Medical/dental bills
- Utility bills
- Cell phone bills
While our services are limited when it comes to secured debts, by taking care of your unsecured debts and helping you create a budget that makes payment for your secured debts, your credit counsellor can help you with debt solutions that really work.
Could CCS help me avoid bankruptcy?
Additionally, the best way to avoid bankruptcy is to work out solutions earlier on. At CCS, we encourage our clients to avoid bankruptcy by trying other solutions first. However, if you are experiencing extreme financial hardship, know that bankruptcy can always be your last resort.
Will visiting a credit counsellor affect my credit score?
How do I know that CCS is a legitimate organization?
Aside from being trusted by hundreds of thousands of Canadian households for credit card counselling and debt relief services, the Credit Counselling Society has been an active non-profit credit counselling service since 1996. Throughout the decades, we’ve maintained the highest ratings from the Better Business Bureau and are accountable to top credit counselling industry associations operating in both Canada and the U.S., including the National Foundation of Credit Counseling and Credit Counselling Canada.
Putting Your Interests First
Our goal is to always put consumers first and look out for their best interests in everything we do. One way we do this is through transparency and accountability. We are held accountable to the most rigorous standards in our industry.
Provinces & Territories We Serve
As Canada’s foremost free credit counselling agency, CCS’s experts are available to meet in person or virtually through one of our numerous offices across Canada. Click your province below to find which CCS office is closest to you.
BC | Alberta | Saskatchewan | Manitoba | Ontario | Quebec | Yukon | Northwest Territories | Nunavut
In addition to in-person appointments, we also serve the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut regions by telephone. Call us at 1-888-527-8999 for a completely free and confidential discussion about your financial situation.
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Debt Management Program
You’re not alone if you’re wondering if a DMP is right for you. Here’s what it is and how it works.
Our Qualifications
Our counsellors are friendly, professional, and among the highest qualified in our industry.
Client Reviews
Directly from our clients, read and hear about their experiences with CCS.
