Filing For Chapter 7 Bankruptcy? What You Can Expect
Posted on: 23 October 2020
If your struggling with your debt, you may be considering filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. If you are in the process of filing or have just filed, you may be wondering about the process and what you can expect to happen. Read on for some helpful information to help you throughout your bankruptcy filing.
Filing
Filing your bankruptcy is going to entail some homework from you. You'll have to go through your bills and all of your debts to create a list of all of your creditors with their address and phone numbers, what the debt is for and how much you owe at the time of filing. You're going to have to come up with all of this information on your own, and will most likely be given a packet from your bankruptcy attorney that needs to be filled out. This paperwork is what is filed with the bankruptcy court and it has to be filled out properly. If you have missing information, your bankruptcy could be delayed or dismissed altogether.
Notice To Creditors
The creditors you listed in your bankruptcy will be sent a copy of your bankruptcy filing. This notice tells your creditors of your bankruptcy and works as a cease and desist. These creditors are no longer allowed to contact you about your bankruptcy. If they do, you can give them your bankruptcy file number and your bankruptcy attorney's information. If the creditor was not included in the bankruptcy they are allowed to still contact you and continue to request payment for the debt, although your bankruptcy may be able to be amended.
Bankruptcy Hearing
You will have to attend a bankruptcy hearing, in which the bankruptcy trustee will ask you a series of questions about your bankruptcy. You are required to answer these questions, although your attorney will also be present at this hearing. The hearing is also a time when your creditors may also appear at the hearing to ask you questions. The trustee will most likely as you questions about the bankruptcy itself, whether or not your situation has changed, or if any of the information on your bankruptcy has changed. The hearing could be continued to a different date if there are changes that need to be made. Usually, after the bankruptcy hearing, you are given information about whether or not your bankruptcy was discharged or dismissed. If discharged, you are free of those debts, but if it is dismissed, you may need to file your bankruptcy all over again and start over.
If you are filing for bankruptcy to help you get out of debt, there are a number of things that you should know. Talk to your bankruptcy attorney for more information about the process.
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