Can Consumers Credit Counseling Hurt Your Credit?

Yes, it is possible that consumers credit counseling could have some negative effect on your credit.  However, it may not hurt it at all.  Though many lenders may not want to do conduct any business with you after you've used a credit counseling plan, there are others that still will.

For the most part, what happens to your credit in response to counseling mostly is dependant on the way in which your lenders report your account to credit bureaus.

Consumers Credit Counseling: Do You Need It?

If you're able to pay your bills and are up to date on every single one of your accounts, you probably don't need credit counseling. If your interest rates are too high, you typically can negotiate a reduced rate with your credit-card companies simply by asking -- or threatening to relocate your account somewhere else.

If you are extremely far in debt, credit counseling may possibly not be able to assist. There are restrictions to how small of an amount your creditors will accept, plus a credit counseling service possibly will not be capable of reducing your payments enough to either offer you breathing space or get you out of debt. If that's the case, bankruptcy may well be the top choice of bad options.