How to Get Debt Relief in Ohio

George Simons | June 07, 2024

George Simons
Co-Founder of SoloSuit
George Simons, JD/MBA

George Simons is the co-founder and CEO of SoloSuit. He has helped Americans protect over $1 billion from predatory debt lawsuits. George graduated from BYU Law school in 2020 with a JD-MBA. In his spare time, George likes to cook, because he likes to eat.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: If you're struggling with debt in Ohio, SoloSuit can help you find the relief you need.

Like most Americans, residents of Ohio are grappling with a large amount of personal debt, especially credit card debt. This is understandable considering the significant economic headwinds we're facing in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. Residents of Ohio, on average, are carrying more than $5,500 in credit card debt. In addition to a large amount of credit card debt, many Ohio residents are struggling with student loan debt. For example, Ohio ranked as the 8th worst state for the total amount owed toward student loans.

If you live in Ohio and are struggling with a mountain of debt (e.g, credit card debt, medical debt, auto loan debt, student loan debt etc.), you have options for debt relief. This can help you have greater financial flexibility and reduced stress and anxiety when it comes to balancing the checkbook each month.

Learn about these Ohio debt relief programs

Below is a list of debt relief programs and resources that are available exclusively to residents of the Buckeye State:

  • Ohio Works First: This state program provides financial assistance to families in need for up to 36 months.
  • Housing Development Assistance Program: Provides emergency repairs and installations for handicap accessibility. Available to families at or below 50% of median area income.
  • Ohio Medicaid Healthy Start and Healthy Families: This is a Medicaid program that provides no-cost healthcare. This program provides full coverage for doctor visits, hospital care, pregnancy services, vision, dental and mental health services. This program is available to people under the age of 19 and pregnant women.
  • Save the Dream Ohio: This program provides assistance to families who have been identified as being in risk of foreclosure by connecting them with a HUD-approved housing counseling agency.

It is important to note that these programs are not available to all Ohio residents. To qualify for most of these programs, you must have significant financial hardship. For example, these programs are typically only accessible to residents with a current bank balance (checking and saving combined) that is under $2,001. You may also qualify with a bank balance under $3,001, but there must be evidence that you share your home with a person over the age of 60, or with someone who has a disability.

Another limitation is that your annual income must be at or below a certain amount to qualify for these programs and benefits. For example, if you are a single individual, you can only have an income of around $16,237 (before taxes). For every additional individual in your household, you can add $5,746 to determine eligibility. Basically, this means a household of two would only qualify if they have an income of $21,983 or less. A household of three would only qualify with an income of $27,729 or less.

Use these strategies to pay off your debt in Ohio

Below is a list of commonly used strategies that have helped people obtain relief from some, or all, of their debt:

  • Paying Down Debt with the “Snowball” Strategy: With the debt snowball strategy, you pay your smallest debt first and continue to make minimum payments on other debts to ensure you do not go into default. After you pay off the smallest balance, you then take that payment and roll it into the amount being applied toward your next balance. Once that balance is paid, you roll both payment amounts to the next highest balance and so on.
  • Paying Down Debt with the “Avalanche” Strategy: With the debt avalanche strategy, you begin by paying off the balance with the highest interest rate while continuing to pay the minimum payments on all of your other debts. When that balance is paid, you redirect that same payment towards another balance with the second highest interest rate, and so on.
  • Work with a Nonprofit Credit Counselor: A good way to learn how to get debt relief in Ohio is by working with a nonprofit credit counseling agency that can assist you in analyzing your finances and develop a customized action plan to tackle your debt. During a credit counseling session, a counselor will typically review your financials and determine a plan of action to help you get out of debt. By thoroughly evaluating all of your financial information, you and your credit counselor will set short and long-term financial goals, and figure out a plan of action.

Apply for a debt consolidation loan

In addition to the paydown strategies described above, you may want to explore the benefits of a debt consolidation loan. This type of loan enables you to pay off various credit cards and other lines of credit so your monthly debt is streamlined and simplified to a single account.

A debt consolidation loan is generally considered to be an effective way to lower your monthly debt payments, especially if you have a good credit score and can secure the loan at a lower interest rate.

A debt consolidation loan will help you by giving you one low monthly payment to attend to instead of several smaller payments to numerous creditors. This will allow breathing room so you can pay your other living expenses like your mortgage or rent, groceries, and utilities.

Ohio debt collection laws can protect you

The Federal Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) protects consumers, like you, from abusive debt collection practices. Ohio also has laws in place to protect consumers. As an Ohio resident, you should learn about these laws to keep yourself safe from harassment from debt collectors.

The statute of limitations on debt sets a limit for debt collectors to take consumers to court over past-due debts. In other words, if you haven't made a payment or taken responsibility for a debt in a certain amount of years outlined by Ohio law, debt collectors cannot sue you for the debt you owe. Understand the statute of limitations on different types of debt in Ohio before you make any payments to a debt collector:

Statute of Limitations on Debt in Ohio
Debt Type Deadline
Credit Card 6 years
Medical 6 years
Student Loan 6 years
Auto Loan 6 years
Personal Loan 6 years
Judgment 10 years
Mortgage 21 years
Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.04/.06, and § 2325.18

Summary of how to get debt relief in Ohio

Residents of the Buckeye State who are having a difficult time managing their debt, including monthly payment obligations going towards revolving credit card balances, student loans, auto loans, a mortgage payment, etc. need to be proactive and figure out how to get debt relief in Ohio. As described in this article, there are multiple options to help you achieve debt relief, or at the very least put you on a path to paying down your debt sooner rather than later. Those options include speaking with a debt counselor, applying for one or more debt relief programs available to Ohio residents, or possibly applying for a debt consolidation loan.

No matter the option you choose, SoloSuit is here to help. If you've been sued for debt, you can respond in 15 minutes by using SoloSuit's free Answer form. To learn more about how to respond to a debt lawsuit and win in court, check out this video:

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