--- title: "Schuldhulpverlening" description: "Schuldhulpverlening in the Dutch debt collection rules: help finding a solution to repay debts for a person who cannot keep paying, including aftercare." canonical: "https://gencompl.ai/glossary/schuldhulpverlening" language: "en-US" type: "Glossary term" published: "2026-10-14T18:17:23.290Z" modified: "2026-10-14T19:21:05.863Z" --- # Schuldhulpverlening het ondersteunen bij het vinden van een adequate oplossing gericht op de aflossing van schulden indien redelijkerwijs is te voorzien dat een natuurlijke persoon niet zal kunnen voortgaan met het betalen van zijn schulden of indien hij in de toestand verkeert dat hij heeft opgehouden te betalen, alsmede de nazorg Also known as: Debt assistance **What does "Schuldhulpverlening" mean in the Regeling kwaliteit incassodienstverlening?** Defined in: [Wki](https://gencompl.ai/regulations/wki) (BWBR0046685) [Home](https://gencompl.ai/) › [Glossary](https://gencompl.ai/glossary) › Schuldhulpverlening > het ondersteunen bij het vinden van een adequate oplossing gericht op de aflossing van schulden indien redelijkerwijs is te voorzien dat een natuurlijke persoon niet zal kunnen voortgaan met het betalen van zijn schulden of indien hij in de toestand verkeert dat hij heeft opgehouden te betalen, alsmede de nazorg ## Defined in / by - [Regeling kwaliteit incassodienstverlening (Staatscourant 2024, 10329)](https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/stcrt-2024-10329.html), Article 1, made under the Besluit kwaliteit incassodienstverlening and the [Wki (BWBR0046685)](https://gencompl.ai/regulations/wki) Last updated: 14 October 2026. ## Why a debt collection rule defines it The Regeling kwaliteit incassodienstverlening defines schuldhulpverlening because it makes debt collectors point debtors towards it. Under Article 4(1)(c), a collector informs the debtor, at least through its website, by letter or by email, about the help available for problem debts, explicitly including municipal schuldhulpverlening. The same article requires information on how to pay, any payment arrangement and how to reach Stichting 113 Zelfmoordpreventie, and that information has to be in Dutch at level B1 (Article 4(2)). The explanatory note goes further than the text. It says the duty is not met only by a page on the website: where there is reason to, the collector informs the debtor about these points actively in its contacts, and keeps in mind that money worries can cause stress and less rational decisions. ## Knowledge, not advice Collectors are not asked to provide schuldhulpverlening. They are asked to know it well enough to refer. An incassomedewerker must know the options for municipal debt assistance and how the debt restructuring scheme works (Regeling, Article 2(1)(e) and (f)); an operational leader or self-employed collector must know the Wet gemeentelijke schuldhulpverlening and Title III of the Faillissementswet (Article 2(2)(f) and (g)). ## Where the definition comes from The explanatory note says the term has the same meaning as in the Wet gemeentelijke schuldhulpverlening and that the definition was taken over from Article 1 of that act. The definition covers two situations, a person who can reasonably be expected to be unable to keep paying and a person who has stopped paying, and it includes aftercare. > **What we could not establish** > > We have quoted the Regeling's text and have not compared it word for word with Article 1 of the Wet gemeentelijke schuldhulpverlening, which the explanatory note names as its source. This entry fixes the term. It does not decide whether the term catches your institution; counsel decides that. ## Questions and answers ### Must a Dutch debt collector tell a debtor about schuldhulpverlening? Yes. Article 4(1)(c) of the Regeling kwaliteit incassodienstverlening requires a collector to inform the debtor, at least through its website, by letter or by email, about the help available for problem debts, including municipal schuldhulpverlening. The information must be in Dutch at level B1. ### Does a debt collector have to provide schuldhulpverlening itself? No. The Regeling kwaliteit incassodienstverlening requires collectors to inform debtors about it and requires their staff to know the options for municipal debt assistance (Article 2(1)(e)). Schuldhulpverlening itself is help from others, such as the municipality. ## Sources - [Regeling kwaliteit incassodienstverlening, Staatscourant 2024, 10329](https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/stcrt-2024-10329.html) (Staatscourant · 28 March 2024) - [Wet kwaliteit incassodienstverlening (BWBR0046685), version in force from 1 October 2026](https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0046685/2026-10-01) (wetten.overheid.nl · 1 October 2026) ## Related content ### Glossary term - [Schuldenaar](https://gencompl.ai/glossary/schuldenaar-bki): de natuurlijk persoon die zijn woonplaats in Nederland heeft en die gehouden is of geacht wordt de vordering tot betaling van een geldsom te voldoen - [Incassomedewerker](https://gencompl.ai/glossary/incassomedewerker): persoon die belast is met het verrichten of aanbieden van buitengerechtelijke incassowerkzaamheden ### Regulation - [Wet kwaliteit incassodienstverlening (Wki)](https://gencompl.ai/regulations/wki): The Wki (Wet kwaliteit incassodienstverlening) regulates out-of-court debt collection from consumers in the Netherlands. Collectors working for a third party or on bought claims must be in the Justis register. Since 1 October 2026 a debtor owes no collection costs or interest to an unregistered collector.