What Types of Debts Cannot Be Wiped Out in Bankruptcy?

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Whether filing for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy, there are certain debts that you may not discharge when filing your petition.  These debts include the following:

Federal taxes and state taxes are typically not wiped out in bankruptcy. Any type of lien issued by the government is not eligible to be discharged through the bankruptcy.  We will include your debt in the bankruptcy petition so that the State of Federal authority will be notified of your filing.  It is your responsibility to contact the IRS or State to make payment arrangement.  If you fail to pay your current tax bill or repay your back taxes, the State or IRS would likely put a lien on your home or another asset that you own.  However, there are certain times where taxes may be wiped out. However, it is very rare that you will be able to have taxes wiped out.

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Government loans such as federal student loans cannot be discharged through bankruptcy and must be paid back, in full, to the agency that issued the loan.

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Court ordered domestic support obligations may supersede the Bankruptcy filing.  For instance, if you have a court ordered child support or alimony payment already in place with the Court, this payment is not a viable debt to be discharged in bankruptcy.  If you fail to make these payments, the Court may garnish your wages in order to collect the debt.

Any debts incurred AFTER you have filed your bankruptcy petition may not be wiped out. You may not incur additional debt and then contact your attorney requesting that the debt be added to your bankruptcy filing.  This is fraud and could result in further legal action.

Debts incurred within ninety (90) days of filing your petition are closely scrutinized by the Bankruptcy court and may not be eligible for discharge with your Bankruptcy filing if they are deemed to be fraudulent. If you go out and purchase items on a credit card, knowing that you were then going to file bankruptcy, the debts will not be wiped out.

What If I Stop Receiving Mortgage or Car Statements After Filing for Bankruptcy?

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Once you file a bankruptcy, an automatic stay goes into effect.  This automatic stay states that no creditor can try to collect any debt from you; according to statute 11 U.S.C § 362 (6), “any act to collect, assess, or recover a claim against the debtor that arose before the commencement of the case under this title”.   If a creditor does contact you with payment demands, a Charlotte bankruptcy lawyer or Greensboro bankruptcy lawyer can file what’s known as a “motion for sanctions” which reprimands the creditors attempting to collect the debt.

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Even though you are current, and are going to keep your house or car; many creditors will still not send you a bill once you have filed the bankruptcy.  Ever heard the phrase, “better safe than sorry”?  Well, this is exactly why you are not receiving your statements now; they do not in any way want to violate the automatic stay.  If you had set up automatic bill pay, this will likely stop as well.  You just have to remember regardless of whether you receive a bill, you must continue to make your house or car payment!  If not, the creditors have the legal right to foreclose on your home or repossess your vehicle.

What can you do?  Simply call them and request that they still continue to send you your statements.  They may send something to your bankruptcy attorney asking for he/she to sign off to give permission for you to resume receiving statements for their records, but in most cases, it is as simple as that.  Again, the main reason a creditor stops sending you statements is because they do not want those statements to be viewed as an effort to collect a debt which would violate the automatic stay that goes into effect when your bankruptcy is filed.

What if I Accidentally Leave a Creditor Off of My Bankruptcy?

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Under the stress of a bankruptcy filing, there are times when a creditor is inadvertently forgotten and left off of a bankruptcy filing. If you file Chapter 7 bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy and realize that you accidentally left a creditor off of your bankruptcy, it may not be too late.

Bills in MailboxIf you realize before your creditors’ meeting that you have omitted a creditor, you will need to contact your attorney immediately. Generally speaking, you can add a creditor before your creditors’ meeting. Your attorney may charge a small fee and the court will charge a filing fee, but for most debtors these fees are insignificant compared to the amount owed to the omitted creditor. Your attorney will also send out the proper notices to the omitted creditor after the creditor has been added to the bankruptcy filing.

If you realize after your creditors’ meeting that you have omitted a creditor, there are more strict time limitations to adding a creditor and you will need to contact your attorney immediately to determine whether or not the time frame for you to add a creditor has lapsed.

The most important way to avoid accidentally omitting a creditor from your bankruptcy prior to the filing of your petition is to double-check your credit report from each of the three main credit reporting agencies: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian (visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com to get your free credit report). You will also want to double-check your bills from your creditors to make sure that you have included all of your debts on your bankruptcy petition.

How Much Debt Can I Have When I File for Bankruptcy?

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Every potential bankruptcy client has a different amount of debt owed. Even the type of debt varies from debtor to debtor – some debtors have almost all credit card debt, while others may have almost all medical bills. A common question that potential bankruptcy clients have is whether their bankruptcy will be denied by the Court if they owe “too much money.”

For potential Chapter 7 bankruptcy clients, there is not a specific limit to the amount of debt that can be owed. However, the Bankruptcy Court will always do an analysis in each case to examine the amount of household income in relation to the amount and type of debt owed to ensure that the debtor is not abusing the bankruptcy system.

Bankruptcy InformationFor potential Chapter 13 bankruptcy clients, there are some limitations to the amount of debt that is allowed. Under Section 109(e) of the Bankruptcy Code (also known as the federal bankruptcy laws), an individual with regular income cannot owe more than $250,000.00 in unsecured debt and $750,000.00 in secured debt. In some bankruptcy courts, the bankruptcy Judge will hold a hearing for confirmation of your Chapter 13 Plan if there is more than $100,000.00 in consumer debt (credit cards and personal loans). These limitations are set to ensure that the debtor is not abusing the bankruptcy laws.

One way to avoid having issues with the amount of debt you owe is to stop using your credit cards as soon as you consider filing bankruptcy. In some cases, the Court may ask you when the last time you used your credit cards was. The Court asks this question to make sure that you did not run up your credit card charges immediately before filing bankruptcy.

You should contact a Charlotte bankruptcy attorney or Greensboro bankruptcy lawyer to get a more specific analysis of your own situation, but you can use these general guidelines to prepare yourself for whether or not the court will deny your bankruptcy if you owe “too much money.”

Will Bankruptcy Stop Creditor Phone Calls and Harassing Contact?

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Yes, once a person has case number after filing either a Chapter 7 bankruptcy or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, a creditor is prohibited from trying contact the debtor in any attempt to collect a debt.

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Can I Get Fired From My Job For Filing Bankruptcy?

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The short answer is, no. Federal law prohibits an employer to discriminate against you for your declaring bankruptcy. According to 11 U.S.C § 525 (a) and (b), no governmental unit or private employer may “…terminate the employment of, or discriminate with the respect of employment someone who is or has been a debtor under this title…” In other words, you can’t be fired from your job simply because you have filed for bankruptcy.

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Should I Stop Using Credit Cards If I’m Going to File Bankruptcy?

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Generally speaking, yes. It is not mandatory to stop using your credit cards before filing for bankruptcy but you should use them wisely and, ideally, you should stop using them. If charges to your credit cards have been made to purchase luxury items within 180 days prior to you filing the bankruptcy you would need to wait to file.

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What to Expect at the Creditors’ Meeting

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Whether you are filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you will be required to attend a creditor’s meeting (also known as a 341 Meeting of Creditors). The Court schedules the date and time of your creditors meeting after your bankruptcy has been filed and a bankruptcy Trustee has been assigned to your case.

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Will I Lose My Retirement If I File for Bankruptcy?

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Generally speaking, no. However, there are always exceptions.

Most retirement plans are ERISA qualified, which stands for Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. This law was enacted to protect your retirement accounts from risky investments by your employer or plan administrator. If the plan is ERISA qualified, then your bankruptcy Trustee cannot seize your retirement money to pay your creditors.

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