Q. I have a lot of debt for health and credit card bills that I cannot pay. I'm on a payment plan and have been paying the amount required and what I can on time. Now I need to temporarily stop paying. How do I ask these creditors to allow me to temporarily stop payment so I can become more financially stable?

A. You need to approach your creditors very carefully and with a more convincing reason than you've offered us.

When you say you want to become "more financially stable," that sounds like you just want to take time out from paying your debts to save up for a while, or to use your income for other purposes.

That won't fly with any creditor. About the only time they'll consider revamping a payment plan is if you're struggling with a layoff or serious illness that has dramatically reduced your income and made it impossible for you to keep up with your payments.

After all, you admit that you've managed to make payments on time thus far, so why would a creditor allow you to make them a lower priority?

We can't tell from your question whether your payment plan was negotiated with a debt collection agency or through a credit counseling agency.

Credit counseling agencies typically work with lenders to write off part of your debt, forgive late fees and lower interest rates to create what's called a debt management plan. The credit counselor collects a single monthly payment from you and distributes that money to the companies you owe.

"Reach out to your counselor and explain the reason for your financial distress," says Gail Cunningham, spokeswoman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, a national coalition of nonprofit debt counseling programs.

The counselor will look for ways to solve your problems and keep repaying your old bills.

"Pretty much, the consumer has already played his ace in the hole when he enters a debt management plan," Cunningham says. Renegotiating the deal, and persuading creditors to let you stop making the agreed upon payments, even temporarily, is very difficult.

"If you drop off the program -- typically through two missed payments -- it is highly unlikely you will be reinstated," Cunningham says. That means collection calls will start up again and you'll lose everything that was negotiated on your behalf.

If you're not already enrolled in such a plan, you can find a reputable nonprofit agency through the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, whose members will devise a plan and distribute your monthly payments for a reasonable fee.

Working with a counselor might be one way for you to achieve the relief you say your budget needs without becoming more delinquent on your debts.

If you are making payments directly to a debt collector, the consequences for stopping can be more severe.

These agencies buy bad debt from original creditors for pennies on the dollar, and turn a profit by finding a least a few debtors who can repay some of what they owe.

Since you've already proven that you can be one of those clients that can and will repay, they won't let you go without a fight.

Industry watchdogs say it's rare, but not unheard of, for someone whose been making regular monthly payments to get a short-term break.

"Consumers who have the best outcomes are those who make contact and say 'Here's what I need to do,'" said Peggy Matson, head of the Arkansas State Board of Collection Agencies and secretary/treasurer of the North American Collection Agency Regulatory Association.

"Ask for authorization to change or suspend your agreement," Matson suggests, "and if they say 'Yes,' get it in writing."

But she warns that the recession is hurting debt collection agencies just like everyone else. Although there are plenty of bad debts, consumers who have lost jobs and seen the value of their homes plummet have less and less money to repay them.

Debt collectors "are under no obligation to offer you a payment plan" in the first place, Matson says. "Their other remedy is to go to court, get a judgment and garnishee your salary, bank accounts or other assets."

Before taking any steps, Matson said, call your state attorney general's office and ask for the office that regulates debt collectors. They can tell you of any state-specific laws about payment plans that may help you negotiate a deal.

You can learn more about your legal rights by reading our tips on how to get debt collectors off your back.

Repaying old debts can seem like an endless task, but stopping your payments -- in all but the most dire of circumstances -- will only drag out an already painful process.