Nonprofit credit counseling agencies in Florida - To help lower payments and combine debts
This page is a guide to nonprofit credit counseling in Florida. A certified counselor may review your debts, your income, and your bills with you at no charge. When it fits your situation, the counselor may set up a debt management plan that combines your credit card payments into one and may lower your interest rates. Several of the largest nonprofit counseling agencies in the country are based in Florida, including InCharge Debt Solutions in Orlando and Consolidated Credit in Fort Lauderdale.
Every agency on this page was checked against its own website and against government and industry lists. This guide covers the Florida law that limits counseling fees, the warning signs of debt relief scams, agencies headquartered in Florida, and national nonprofits that counsel Florida residents by phone. Spanish speaking counselors are available at several of the agencies listed.
How Florida law protects you from high fees
Florida has a state law that limits what a credit counseling agency can charge. There are rules around the setup fee or first consultation as well as what ongoing counseling fees are capped at. Or on a debt management plan, the greater of a percent of your monthly payment or a monthly cost. Fee limits can change, so confirm the current rules before you sign anything. The text of the law is at https://flsenate.gov/laws/statutes/2022/817.802.
The same part of the law requires an agency to keep client money in a separate trust account and to send your payments to your creditors within 30 days. If a company charges more than the law allows or holds your money, you can file a complaint with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at 1-800-435-7352. Spanish speakers can call 1-800-352-9832.
How to avoid debt relief scams in Florida
Debt relief is one of the most heavily scammed topics in Florida. For-profit debt settlement companies often advertise with words that sound like nonprofit counseling, and the two are not the same. A legitimate nonprofit counselor explains your options before asking you for money, and nonprofit agencies generally provide the first counseling session at no cost.
Walk away from any company that promises to erase your debt, demands a large fee before doing any work, tells you to cut off contact with your creditors, or pressures you to sign the same day. Legitimate agencies never guarantee a specific outcome. The guide to avoiding financial assistance scams from needhelppayingbills.com explains the most common tricks in more detail.
Local credit counseling pages for Florida cities and counties
Some metro areas in Florida have their own pages with additional local agencies and programs.
Hillsborough County and Tampa
Miami - Dade County
Orlando area including surrounding counties
Palm Beach County
Florida-based nonprofit credit counseling agencies
These nonprofits are headquartered in Florida. All of them counsel people statewide by phone or online, and several also meet with clients in person. The official phone number and official website come first in each entry.
InCharge Debt Solutions — 5750 Major Blvd, Suite 300, Orlando, FL 32819. Call 800-565-8953. Website: https://www.incharge.org/. InCharge is a national nonprofit with its headquarters in Orlando. Counselors review your full debt picture by phone at no charge and may recommend a debt management plan when one would lower your costs. The agency also holds HUD approval for housing counseling, which covers foreclosure prevention and first time buyers. Bankruptcy counseling and the certificates required for a bankruptcy case are available when qualified.
Consolidated Credit — 5701 W. Sunrise Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33313. Call 844-331-0126. Website: https://www.consolidatedcredit.org/. Consolidated Credit is one of the largest nonprofit counseling agencies in the country and operates from Fort Lauderdale. A free debt analysis with a certified counselor comes first. When a debt management plan fits, the agency may negotiate lower interest rates with your card companies and combine your bills into one monthly payment. HUD certified housing counselors are on staff for mortgage and foreclosure questions.
Credit Card Management Services (Debthelper.com) — 1325 N. Congress Ave, Suite 201, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. Call 561-472-8000. Website: https://www.debthelper.com. Debthelper is the working name of Credit Card Management Services, a nonprofit based in West Palm Beach. The agency counsels seniors, immigrants, and families across Florida by phone, online, and in person. Services may include budget reviews, debt management plans, and HUD approved housing counseling, including reverse mortgage counseling for older homeowners.
Debt Management Credit Counseling Corp. (DMCC) — 3310 N. Federal Highway, Lighthouse Point, FL 33064. Call 954-418-1466. Website: https://www.dmcconline.org. DMCC is a Florida nonprofit with offices in Lighthouse Point and Fort Lauderdale. Free budget counseling comes first, and the agency may enroll you in a debt management plan when it would lower what you pay. Housing counseling runs from the Fort Lauderdale office at 1330 SE 4th Avenue, Suite F, reachable at 866-724-3328. Student loan counseling and bankruptcy education courses are also part of the agency's work.
Consumer Debt Counselors — 831 W. Morse Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32789. Call 800-820-9232. Website: https://consumerdebtcounselors.org/. Consumer Debt Counselors has operated from Winter Park since 1998. The nonprofit belongs to the NFCC and holds HUD approval for housing counseling. The first consultation is free, and the agency states that no one is denied service for being unable to pay. Counselors may help with credit card debt, student loans, foreclosure prevention, and the counseling certificates required in a bankruptcy case.
Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Puerto Rico (Florida Consumer) — 8751 Commodity Circle, Suite 6, Orlando, FL 32819. Call 407-930-5609 or 800-717-2227. Website: https://www.consumerpr.org. This NFCC member nonprofit, known as CONSUMER, serves central Florida from its Orlando office and also operates across Puerto Rico. Counseling is offered in Spanish and English. The agency may help with budgets, debt management plans, housing questions, and building credit for people new to the mainland. CONSUMER has been affiliated with GreenPath Financial Wellness since 2023, and both organizations continue under their own names.
Premier Consumer Credit Counseling — 5201 Blue Lagoon Drive, Suite 800, Miami, FL 33126. Call 800-296-4950. Website: https://premierconsumer.org/. Premier began as a volunteer effort in Hialeah in 1997 and now works from Miami. The nonprofit belongs to the FCAA and has a long record of serving Spanish speaking households, though counselors work in English as well. Services may include free budget reviews, debt management plans, and bankruptcy counseling and education. The agency may waive fees for people with low incomes.
National nonprofit agencies that serve Florida
Many national nonprofits counsel Florida residents by phone and online. Two with long records and Florida connections are listed here.
GreenPath Financial Wellness — Call 800-550-1961. Website: https://www.greenpath.com/. GreenPath is a national nonprofit that absorbed the former Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Mid-Florida, so many long time Florida clients now work with GreenPath. Free sessions cover budgets, credit cards, student loans, and housing. The agency may set up a debt management plan when it would cut your interest costs. GreenPath is also the national affiliate of CONSUMER, whose Orlando office appears in the Florida agency list on this page.
Money Management International (MMI) — Call 866-889-9347. Website: https://www.moneymanagement.org/. MMI is one of the largest nonprofit counseling agencies in the country. Phone counseling is available at any hour, every day of the week, which helps people who work nights or odd shifts. Free sessions cover credit card debt, budgets, and housing questions. The agency may also offer a repayment option for accounts that have already been charged off.
These two are examples rather than the full set. The national directory of nonprofit credit counseling agencies on needhelppayingbills.com lists every verified national agency with current phone numbers.
How to check an agency before you enroll
Confirm any agency on your own before you send money or sign an agreement.
Every agency, address, and phone number on this page was checked against the agency's own website and against government and industry lists. Phone numbers and services change, so confirm details directly with an agency before you enroll. This page is for reference and does not endorse any organization.
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