New research has found that many people seeking personal insolvency arrangements aren't earning enough money to qualify.
Grant Thornton debt solutions studied over 1,000 cases on their books, finding that almost half face bankruptcy.
Yet it also found that just one in seven potential applicants would be eligible for a Personal Insolvency Arrangement or a Debt Settlement Arrangement.
"If you've got debts in excess of €30,000 €40,000 €50,000 - and you're not able to live in the reasonable living expenses, which have been set quite low. .. what that means is that individual does not have enough income to be able to contribute more than just basically surviving," said Michael McAteer, partner with Grant Thornton.