Wisconsin credit counseling that helps you budget and pay down debt
This page is a plain-English guide to nonprofit credit counseling in Wisconsin. A certified counselor may go through your income, your bills, and every debt with you, usually at no charge, and then lay out your options. Wisconsin gives residents an advantage that most states do not: the state licenses every company that runs a debt management plan, so you can check any agency against an official list before you hand over money.
The agencies in this guide range from local nonprofits that have counseled Wisconsin families for generations to national organizations that answer the phone at any hour. Every name, address, phone number, and website was verified before being listed. The guide also covers the state license rule, the warning signs of debt relief scams, and the official lists for checking an agency on your own.
The Wisconsin license rule that protects you
Wisconsin law requires any company that collects money from you and pays it out to your creditors to hold an adjustment service company license from the state Department of Financial Institutions. That is exactly how a debt management plan works, so an agency offering you one needs the license. Nonprofit agencies need it too.
State rules also limit what a licensed company can charge for setting up a plan and for monthly service, and they set requirements for how your money is handled. The limits can change, so confirm the current rules before you sign anything. The licensing rules and a company lookup are on the state's page at https://dfi.wi.gov/Pages/FinancialServices/LicensedFinancial/AdjustmentServiceCompany.aspx. When a company will not state its Wisconsin license, stop and choose a different agency.
How to spot a debt relief scam in Wisconsin
Scammers and for-profit debt settlement companies buy ads that copy the language of nonprofit counseling, and people already behind on bills are their main target. The state license gives you a fast first check that most states cannot offer. A second check is just as simple: a real nonprofit counselor reviews your situation before any talk of payment, and the first session is free at nearly every agency on this page.
End the call when a company guarantees to cut your debt in half, wants money before any counseling happens, tells you to stop paying your creditors, or refuses to put its fees in writing. Legitimate agencies never pressure you to decide during the first conversation. The guide to avoiding financial assistance scams from needhelppayingbills.com covers the full list of tricks in use.
Wisconsin-based nonprofit credit counseling agencies
These nonprofits are based in Wisconsin or run offices that serve it, and two neighboring Minnesota nonprofits that counsel Wisconsin residents are included at the end of the list. The official phone number and official website come first in every entry.
FISC (Financial Information and Service Center) — 1800 Appleton Road, Menasha, WI 54952. Call 920-886-1000. Website: https://www.fisc-cccs.org/. FISC is a nonprofit program of Goodwill NCW and also operates under the name Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Northeastern Wisconsin. The agency belongs to the NFCC and holds the state adjustment service company license. Counselors may review your budget at no charge, set up a debt management plan when it would reduce what you pay, and provide bankruptcy counseling along with the certificates a bankruptcy case requires. Student loan and housing questions are part of the service list.
Consumer Credit Counseling Service (Family Service Association of Sheboygan) — 1930 N. 8th Street, Sheboygan, WI 53081. Call 800-350-2227. Website: https://cccsonline.org/. This nonprofit traces its work to 1912, which makes it one of the oldest community counseling programs in Wisconsin. Offices operate in Sheboygan, La Crosse, West Bend, and Fond du Lac, and counselors also work by phone across Wisconsin and Minnesota. The agency is licensed and bonded with the state, affiliated with the NFCC, and approved by HUD for housing counseling. A free financial assessment comes first, and a debt management plan may follow when the numbers make sense for you.
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay — 1825 Riverside Drive, Green Bay, WI 54301. Call 920-272-8234. Website: https://www.catholiccharitiesgb.org/. The Financial Health Program at Catholic Charities serves seven counties around Green Bay, the Fox Valley, and the lakeshore. Certified budget counselors meet with people of any faith or none. The program is HUD certified and may help with budgets, a debt management program, foreclosure prevention, first time home buying, and bankruptcy services. A representative payee program is available for people who need help managing monthly benefit money.
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of La Crosse — 3710 East Avenue South, La Crosse, WI 54601. Call 608-782-0710. Website: https://cclse.org/. Catholic Charities runs financial counseling for western and central Wisconsin from La Crosse, with additional offices in Wausau and Eau Claire. Certified counselors may help you build a budget, manage debt payments through the agency's debt management program, and prepare for bankruptcy when no better option remains. Counseling is confidential and open to everyone.
Life Financial Solutions (Family Services of Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois) — 825 Liberty Avenue, Suite 2, Beloit, WI 53511. Call 608-365-1244 or 866-925-2227. Website: https://www.cccsbeloit.org. Life Financial Solutions is the counseling program of this United Way supported nonprofit and is known locally as CCCS of Beloit and Janesville. Rock County and the stateline area are its home territory. The program may help with financial coaching, debt repayment plans, credit report reviews, and both of the counseling courses required in a bankruptcy case.
FamilyMeans — 1875 Northwestern Avenue South, Stillwater, MN 55082. Call 800-780-2890. Website: https://www.familymeans.org/. FamilyMeans is a Minnesota nonprofit whose counselors serve western Wisconsin and the rest of the state by phone and online. A free session with an NFCC certified counselor can run up to 90 minutes and covers income, expenses, and every debt you carry. The agency may then recommend a debt management plan, and it shows you the projected savings before you commit to anything.
LSS Financial Counseling — Call 888-577-2227. Website: https://www.lssmn.org/financialcounseling. LSS Financial Counseling is part of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and counsels Wisconsin residents by phone. Budget and debt sessions are free, and the nonprofit may set up a debt management plan that combines your card payments into one. Counselors who speak Spanish and Hmong are on staff. A fee applies to student loan counseling.
National nonprofit agencies that serve Wisconsin
Many national nonprofits counsel Wisconsin residents. These two have a Wisconsin connection, and the full national list is one click away at the end of this section.
GreenPath Financial Wellness — 725 Heartland Trail, Suite 110, Madison, WI 53717. Call 800-550-1961. Website: https://www.greenpath.com/. GreenPath is a national nonprofit that keeps a staffed Wisconsin office in Madison and counsels the rest of the state by phone. Free sessions cover budgets, credit card debt, student loans, and housing questions. A debt management plan may follow when it would lower your interest costs, and clients report on the plan's progress through an online account.
Money Management International (MMI) — Call 866-889-9347. Website: https://www.moneymanagement.org/. MMI counsels Wisconsin residents by phone and online, and its counselors answer around the clock, including overnight and on weekends. The Racine office from years past has closed, so all counseling now happens remotely. Free sessions cover budgeting and credit card debt, and the nonprofit may offer a monthly repayment plan matched to your situation.
These two are a sample rather than the full set. See the primary national directory of nonprofit credit counseling agencies on needhelppayingbills.com lists every verified national agency with current phone numbers.
Verify an agency before you enroll
Confirm any agency on your own before you send money or sign an agreement. The United States Department of Justice keeps a state by state list of approved credit counseling agencies at https://www.justice.gov/ust/list-credit-counseling-agencies-approved-pursuant-11-usc-111. The NFCC connects callers with accredited member agencies at 800-388-2227, and its online finder is at https://www.nfcc.org/agency-finder. The FCAA lists its member agencies at https://fcaa.org/find-a-credit-counselor/. Complaint histories are available from the Better Business Bureau at https://www.bbb.org/us/category/credit-and-debt-counseling.
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