What Counts as Financial Hardship?

Financial hardship is when your income can no longer cover your essential expenses and debt payments, usually because of an event outside your control.

Common causes include job loss, a cut in hours or pay, a medical event, divorce or the death of a household earner. The emotional toll is often just as great as the financial loss: With money no longer coming in, stress builds, which in turn makes handling finances all the more difficult. It's a vicious cycle — but a period of hardship doesn't have to become a long-term disruption. That's where Accredited Debt Relief can help.

Is Financial Hardship Unusual?

In a time of rising costs and variable economic patterns, many people in America have found themselves in a period of financial hardship. In fact, recent government data shows how widespread insecurity has become:

• About 63% of U.S. adults said they could cover a $400 emergency expense using cash or its equivalent in 2025, according to the Federal Reserve — meaning about a third could not.
• Total U.S. household debt reached a record $18.8 trillion in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
• Americans held $1.25 trillion in credit card debt at the end of the first quarter of 2026, the New York Fed reported.
• About 4.8% of outstanding household debt was in some stage of delinquency in the first quarter of 2026, per the New York Fed.

In some cases, a single unexpected expense is all it takes to turn a tight budget into a hardship. And if even your minimum payments have become hard to manage, talk to us — our debt relief program is designed to address exactly that.

How to Get Out of Debt When Experiencing Financial Hardship

There's no single fix, but there is a clear order of operations. These steps move you from short-term stability to a real path out of debt — and they're even more powerful when combined with Accredited Debt Relief's program.

• 1. Map your money. List your income, essential expenses and every debt with its balance and monthly payment. It's not the most fun activity, but the information it provides is vital — this financial snapshot tells you how big the gap is, and which balances are doing the most damage.
• 2. Protect the essentials first. Prioritize housing, utilities, food and transportation. Building even a small cash buffer helps you absorb the next surprise without reaching for a high-interest card.
• 3. Look for room in your budget and income. Trim non-essential spending where you can, and explore any opportunity to add income, even temporarily. Small changes add up — and don't be afraid to look for help from local, state and federal sources, too.

If unsecured debts like credit cards, medical bills and personal loans are destabilizing your life, consolidating them can simplify your payments and reduce what you owe. There are two main paths, and only one is built around affordability instead of your credit score.

Why a Debt Relief Program Makes Sense During a Hardship

Our debt relief program is designed to be an affordable and accessible solution for credit card, personal loan, medical debts and more.

• Built around what you can actually afford each month, not your credit score
• Simplify your eligible debts into one lower monthly payment
• Become debt-free in as little as 24 to 48 months
• Stress less with success-based fees and no upfront fees
• 1:1 human support from IAPDA-certified debt specialists, plus an award-winning mobile app, budgeting tools and weekly financial wellness sessions

When money is tight, interest is what keeps you stuck. The average rate on credit card accounts assessed interest was 21.52% in the first quarter of 2026, according to Federal Reserve data. A debt relief program targets your balance, not your interest rate — and that means you treat the cause of spiraling debt, not just the symptom.

Why People Choose Accredited Debt Relief

Accredited Debt Relief has helped people work toward becoming debt-free since 2011, with award-winning customer care at the center of the experience. The company has helped more than 1.3 million clients and resolved more than $15 billion in debt, backed by an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Our organization has been recognized multiple times for exceptional client support, recently earning two 2026 Gold Stevie Awards, including Customer Service Department of the Year for the second straight year, plus Best in Biz honors, Business Intelligence Group recognition and three ConsumerAffairs Buyer's Choice Awards. The company has also been recognized by Bankrate as best for customer satisfaction among debt relief providers. Clients also have access to financial wellness tools, group financial therapy sessions with Certified Financial Therapists and a private online community. Accredited Debt Relief holds a 4.8-star rating on Trustpilot from more than 10,000 client reviews.

Every specialist is certified through the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators, and all staff benefit from guidance by AFCPE-trained trainers. We're also proud to be a member of the Association for Consumer Debt Relief (ACDR).

But what means most to us is that our clients leave in a better place than when they enrolled: In a survey of over 10,000 Accredited Debt Relief graduates, 92% said their program payments were affordable. Graduates also reported a 42% average improvement in their financial habits, with self-rated habits climbing from 5.7 to 8.1 out of 10 after graduation. In the same survey, 8 in 10 graduates said they would recommend Accredited Debt Relief to a friend struggling with debt.

How Do You Choose the Right Path for Your Debt?

The right path depends on the type of debt you have, your income and ability to pay, and how urgently you need relief. During your free consultation, an Accredited Debt Relief certified debt specialist will review your debt, income and monthly obligations and provide a personalized savings estimate. The consultation is free, no-judgment and won't affect your credit score.

Get a Free Consultation | Call 800-497-1965