Chapter 7 wipes qualifying unsecured debt — credit cards, medical bills, deficiency judgments, old utility bills, payday loans — in roughly four months. About 96% of cases nationally are no-asset cases, meaning you keep everything you own.
Run my means test Or compare alternativesMost of the work happens before the petition ever hits the docket. Each sub-step has a checklist, a fixed-fee line item, and a real human you can call.
We use your last 6 months of paystubs and tax returns to run the federal means test. Pass it and Chapter 7 is on the table.
The 1995 reform act requires a 60-90 minute counseling session from an approved nonprofit before you file. We schedule it; you take it online.
We file the 70-page petition package electronically. The federal automatic stay activates the moment the docket clerk timestamps your filing.
The single courtroom-adjacent moment in your case. Most last under 12 minutes. The trustee asks routine questions; creditors almost never appear.
Second federally-mandated course (financial management). If you want to keep a financed car or mortgage on the same terms, we draft the reaffirmation agreement here.
The judge signs Form 318, the order of discharge. It is mailed to you and every listed creditor. Keep it forever — this is the document that proves the debt is legally gone.
Most clients re-cross 700 within 22 months. We hand you a written month-by-month playbook covering secured cards, authorized-user adds, utilization targets, and the 24-month report-pull cadence.
Federal exemption schedules protect a long list of household assets up to specific dollar values. State-specific overrides may apply — we’ll calculate yours at your free analysis.
Auto-stay activates instantly.
Your case number is mailed to all creditors.
~12-minute creditor meeting.
Second course certificate filed.
Closes for trustees and creditors.
Court order arrives in mail.
The questions clients ask quietly when their kids leave the room.
Almost never in Chapter 7. The federal homestead exemption protects up to $31,575 of equity per filer ($63,150 joint). If your equity is below that line, the trustee has no interest in the property and you keep it. State exemptions in many districts are higher.
If your equity is under $5,025 ($10,050 joint), no. If you owe more on the car than it’s worth, even less of an issue. Most clients keep their car by either letting the lien ride or signing a reaffirmation agreement at step 5.
Yes. Spouses are separate filers under federal law. We sometimes recommend single-filer cases when only one spouse holds the discharge-eligible debt. Joint filing doubles the exemptions, though.
The wildcard exemption covers it in most cases. If a large refund is incoming and the timing is bad, we sometimes wait one cycle to file. Strategic timing is included in your $1,500 flat fee.
Filings are public record but no notice is mailed to employers in Chapter 7. Background-check companies that pull court records may see it. Employment-discrimination based on a bankruptcy filing is illegal under 11 USC 525.
You can file Chapter 7 again 8 years from your last discharge. You can file Chapter 13 just 4 years after a Chapter 7 discharge if you need to cure new arrears. Strategic re-filing is rare but real.
Sixty minutes, on Zoom or in person, with the attorney who would actually file your case. We tell you on the call whether Chapter 7, Chapter 13, or an alternative is the right fit.
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