Hi claire a
Insolvency Practitioners charge fees to the estate - ie the fees are drawn out of the contributions you pay over, but only with the specific agreement of your creditors.
Typical fees can be anywhere between £3,500 to £10,000 depending upon the complexity of the case. It is unusual for anyone these days to be asked to pay money up front, but if you are using a debt management company to prepare your statement of affairs before involving an insolvency practitioner, they may charge you some administration fees for the work they are doing on your behalf.
Regards, Melanie Giles, Insolvency Practitioner for over 20 years.
View my IVA blog at:
http://melaniegiles.blogs.iva.co.uk