The bank just bounced your direct debits. Here's what to do today.

Each failed debit starts a separate creditor clock

The bank notifies you overnight. Three direct debits bounced: your loan repayment, a supplier's standing order, and equipment hire. The bank charges you a dishonour fee for each one. The creditors do not yet know, but they will by close of business today when their banks tell them the payment was declined.

If you continue to fail to make the payments due under your credit contract the creditor may take action against you. Each creditor starts their own enforcement process the moment they learn the debit failed. One missed payment to the lender may trigger a default notice. The supplier may stop deliveries. The equipment hire company may demand immediate collection. You have hours, not days, to respond.

Call your bank first to confirm the full picture

Before you contact any creditor, ring the bank and ask for a complete list of every direct debit that failed in the past 48 hours, the amount of each debit, and the name of each creditor. Ask whether any scheduled debits are queued for today or tomorrow. Write down the total value of failed payments and the dishonour fees the bank has charged.

Check your account balance and confirm what cleared funds are available now. Ask the bank if any direct debits that failed yesterday will be re-presented automatically or whether the creditor must submit a new request. This tells you whether more fees are about to hit your account and which creditors you need to warn immediately.

Source: Official guidance

Contact each affected creditor today with a clear plan

For each creditor whose debit bounced, call the person who manages your account. Explain that the payment failed, confirm the outstanding amount, and propose a specific resolution: a manual payment by a fixed date, a revised debit date when funds will be available, or an agreed short-term arrangement. Do not promise a date you cannot meet.

Take notes of every conversation: who you spoke to, what was agreed, and any reference number. Follow up immediately in writing, restating what you proposed and asking the creditor to confirm acceptance. This written record protects you if the creditor later claims you ignored the problem or made different promises.

List what cash is due out over the next fortnight

Sit down with your bank statement, direct debit schedule, and upcoming payment obligations. Write out every amount due to leave your account in the next 14 days: wages, tax instalments, loan repayments, rent, supplier debits, insurance premiums. Include the date each payment is scheduled and whether it is a direct debit, manual transfer, or cheque.

Compare that list to the cash you expect to receive: customer payments, progress claims, retention releases. If the outgoings exceed the incomings, you face a structural cash problem, not a one-off timing issue. Identify which payments are non-negotiable and which creditors may accept a short delay or revised schedule.

Stop non-essential spending and get help if the gap is widening

Cancel or defer every discretionary payment until you have cleared the bounced debits and stabilised the account. That includes subscriptions, non-urgent supplies, and planned equipment purchases. Redirect available cash to the creditors whose failed debit will cause the most immediate harm: the lender who can call in the loan, the supplier whose goods you need this week, the lessor who can seize equipment.

If bounced debits are becoming a pattern, or if next week's obligations will exceed next week's receipts, the business needs urgent assessment. CRP coordinates independent qualified professionals who can review your cash position, negotiate with multiple creditors, and explain your options before the situation becomes unmanageable. Contact CRP today to arrange turnaround support tailored to construction businesses under cash pressure.