Spotting financial abuse
Lesson 6 of 14 in our free Relationships, Family & Money guide: a 5-minute money game with the key points below.
Shown for England. Some rules here are different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: the lesson shows your nation's version.
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Questions you'll answer
A friend tells you their partner controls all their money and they feel trapped. What's the most helpful first step?
Quick facts
- Partners agree a budget together and both can see the accounts → Healthy. Shared decisions and shared access are healthy.
- One partner takes the other's wages and gives them a small allowance they have to justify → Warning sign. Controlling access to someone's own income is a common sign of financial abuse.
- Someone is stopped from getting a job or going to work → Warning sign. Preventing someone earning keeps them dependent. That's a recognised form of economic abuse.
- Partners keep separate personal accounts and a joint bills account → Healthy. Independence plus shared bills — a healthy set-up.
- Loans or credit cards are taken out in someone's name without their agreement → Warning sign. This can wreck someone's credit and leave them with debt. It's abuse, and can be fraud.
- Someone has to show receipts for every purchase or face anger → Warning sign. Monitoring and intimidation around spending is controlling behaviour.
- Red flag: “From now on your wages go into my account, I'll sort the money.” — Taking control of someone's income is a key sign of financial abuse.
- Red flag: “You don't need your own card anymore.” — Removing access to money means removing independence.
- Red flag: “Also I've put the phone contract in your name, so you'll need to sign when it comes.” — Putting debts in someone else's name without real consent can damage their credit and leave them liable.