There are two different types of bankruptcy that apply to individuals? They are, Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. You may have heard of Chapter 11 but that is for businesses not individuals. If you are just a regular person you will want to decide between those two.
Prior to October of 2005, going through a personal bankruptcy was a fairly simple and painless process. It did ruin your credit but it also allowed for a more liberal discharging of debt. In 2005, the law changed and is designed to provide an incentive to people to file under Chapter 13 rather than Chapter 7.
For people with a steady income, Chapter 13 allows them to keep some property like a house or a car that they would otherwise lose in a Chapter 7 filing. Chapter 13 is a court approved “pay back” plan that can run for as long as five years.
Chapter 7 is known as straight bankruptcy, and involves liquidation of all assets that are not exempt. Exempt property may include automobiles, work-related tools, and basic household furnishings. Other property could be sold by a court appointed trustee or given directly to a creditor as payment of your debt. There is also a limitation of how much you can make during this process. It is not designed for you to profit by not having to pay your debts.
Once you have filed for Chapter 7, you will not be able to file again for eight years. Chapter 13 on the other hand, has a waiting period of only two years between filings.
Both types of bankruptcy can get rid of unsecured debts and stop foreclosures, repossessions, garnishments and debt collection activities. Both can provide exemptions that allow people to keep certain assets, although exemption amounts will vary by state. Obligations that cannot be satisfied by either form of bankruptcy include child support, alimony, fines, certain taxes and student loan obligations both government and privately funded.
Unless you have an acceptable plan to satisfy your debt under Chapter 13, the court usually will not allow you to keep property when the creditor has security lien on it. This might include your home as well as well as boats, vacation homes, recreational vehicles etc.
Bankruptcy is no longer the slam dunk process that it was. The new law now requires that persons wanting to file either Chapter 7 or 13 attend an approved credit counseling course sometime within the six months before filing. This is another effort to solve the credit crisis without further clogging up the courts with another bankruptcy.
In addition, there is now a “means test” for persons wanting to go the liquidation route. If the court believes that you make too much income to just walk away from the debt via liquidation, they will only allow you to file Chapter 13 which is the pay back plan.
There are other strategies to settle your debt without going through bankruptcy. It all depends on your personal situation and what best makes sense for you and your family. Any decision to file for bankruptcy should not be made without consulting a qualified bankruptcy attorney.
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