National Debt Relief Review 2024 (2024)

• What Is National Debt Relief?
• How Does National Debt Relief Work?
• How To Sign Up for National Debt Relief
• How Will National Debt Relief Affect My Credit?
• Is National Debt Relief Legit?
• National Debt Relief Reviews
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Founded in 2009, National Debt Relief is a for-profit company that helps its clients resolve their debts. According to National Debt Relief’s website, it’s one of the largest debt relief companies in the United States, having helped more than 500,000 people.

National Debt Relief specializes in debt negotiation, which you may also see referred to as debt settlement or debt resolution. Debt negotiation simply means working with creditors to get them to agree to accept less than what’s owed. Any remaining debt would be canceled as part of the negotiation agreement.

National Debt Relief negotiates with your creditors on your behalf to help resolve your debts. The goal is to help you pay off debts for less than what’s owed and escape debt faster.

Here’s an overview of how it works:

• National Debt Relief creates a personalized debt plan for you based on your budget and financial situation.
• You make one payment each month into your secured savings account.
• National Debt Relief negotiates with your creditors to reach a settlement agreement.
• Once an agreement is reached, your creditors get paid from the money in your account.
• The remaining debt balance is canceled, and you pay nothing else to the creditor.

The process continues until all the debts you ask National Debt Relief to negotiate are gone. The company estimates that it takes at least 24 to 48 months for clients to become debt free if they stick to their debt repayment plan.

In exchange, you will pay a fee to National Debt Relief for their services. The fees are built into the amount you deposit in your dedicated savings account. Fees vary by state and range from 15% to 25% of your total enrolled debt amount. That’s similar to what other debt relief companies charge.

If you’re interested in debt relief services, you can get started with National Debt Relief online or over the phone. Here’s what’s involved.

1. Visit National Debt Relief’s website and select Apply or call 800-287-1591 to start the process.
2. Provide National Debt Relief with your name, email address, and estimated amount of debt.
3. Complete your free consultation with a debt coach, who will evaluate your situation and present debt relief solutions for you.
4. From there, they’ll create a personalized debt relief plan that fits your current financial situation.
5. Once you agree to a plan, you’ll make one monthly payment into your secured savings account which you control.

National Debt Relief’s approach helps you focus on controlling your debt in less time, rather than only making minimum payments for several debts all at the same time.

National Debt Relief can help with the following debts:

• Credit cards
• Medical bills
• Personal loans
• Lines of credit
• Collections
• Repossessions
• Certain business debts
• Certain student debts

If you’re behind on a different kind of loan, such as a mortgage, it’s a good idea to reach out to your lender to see what options might be available for getting caught up. National Debt Relief also offers referrals for credit counseling, debt consolidation and bankruptcy services if their debt relief plan isn’t the best option for you.

One condition of this debt relief plan is to stop making payments to creditors and focus more on making monthly payments to your secured savings account. The longer creditors go without receiving payments, the more open they’ll be to negotiation.

Payment history accounts for 35% of your FICO credit score, so enrolling in a plan with National Debt Relief could negatively impact your credit rating. The extent of that impact, however, depends on whether you’re still current on your bills or not.

If you’re already several months behind, then a few more late payments might not make much of a difference to your credit score since it’s likely taken a big hit already. While late payments can remain on your credit reports for up to seven years, the impact on your score lessens over time.

On the other hand, if you’re still current on bills, even one late payment could cost you significant points. In that scenario, you might want to consider other options, such as a debt management plan or debt consolidation, which can have less of a negative impact on credit scores.According to National Debt Relief, the majority of clients with low credit scores graduate the program with an increase in their credit.

Looking at reviews of debt relief companies can be a good way to learn what people do or don’t like about them. Overall, National Debt Relief reviews are largely positive.

The company has a 4.7-star rating with Trustpilot. Many clients have left positive comments about National Debt Relief’s helpfulness and overall client service in guiding them through the debt negotiation process.

National Debt Relief has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and is BBB-accredited. The company earns a 4.58-star rating based on client reviews. The BBB collects information about consumer complaints, and there have been 259 complaints closed in the last three years and 88 complaints closed in the last 12 months. Past complaints largely centered on billing and collection issues.

Bottom Line

National Debt Relief could help you get out of debt, but it’s not always a fit for every situation. Understanding how debt negotiation works is a good place to start when deciding how to manage your financial obligations best. If you’re interested in National Debt Relief specifically, it’s important to thoroughly understand what you’re agreeing to before signing up.

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