Who Will Find Out That I Filed Bankruptcy?

A lot of people are concerned with who will find out about their bankruptcy if they choose to file bankruptcy. That is a legitimate and understandable concern. Once a bankruptcy petition has been filed with the court it becomes public record.  If a person is determined enough, the information can be obtained.  However, to find out if someone has filed for bankruptcy the person would need to sign up for an account on PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) and could be required to pay money to view the necessary information. For the most part, the only people that will be notified of the bankruptcy are the people that you are in debt with and/or owe money too.

Understandably, the main concern for people is family and friends finding out about their bankruptcy.  The only way that they will be notified of your bankruptcy is if you owe money to them.  They will have to be notified under federal law as creditor.  Also, if you are paying child support and/or alimony the recipient will have to be notified of your bankruptcy.  The reason for this is if you were to fall behind on a payment with child support and/or alimony then that could affect the outcome of your bankruptcy.

Another concern that clients have is if their employer will be notified.  They payroll department of your employer will likely be notified in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy because at least a portion of your monthly payment will be deducted from your paycheck. In a Chapter 7 bankruptcy there is no reason the employer would find out about the bankruptcy unless they pulled your credit report.

Again, it is rare that people would be able to find out if you have filed bankruptcy. Unless you choose to tell people about your bankruptcy, most people will never find out.