Chapter 13 Bankruptcy is a form of debt consolidation where you pay the bankruptcy trustee every month for five years and he pays your creditors some percentage of what you owe them. There is usually no interest paid and the balance owed at the end of the term of the plan is discharged. It is appropriate for debtors who have non-exempt assets they wish to keep, or exempt assets for which the payments are in arrears, or who earn at least the median income in this state.  Another benefit of Chapter 13 is the opportunity for paying considerably less than what you currently owe for a vehicle you have owned for at least 2-1/2 years by using the "cram down" concept wherein you have to pay 100% of the current fair market value of the vehicle, but the rest of what you owe is unsecured debt ... like your credit cards.

Our fee for preparing the Chapter 7 petition and all the schedules that go along with it, including attorney representation at the creditors' meeting, is $995 plus $50 per secured creditor (secured creditors are those with liens on property, like mortgages and auto lenders).  Add $200 if you are married (whether your spouse is filing with you or not) or if you are self-employed.  Add $200 if you are over the median income shown above.  There is also a filing fee at the Bankruptcy Court of $299, unless your income is less than 150% of the "poverty level" and you are unable to pay it.

While all of these fees must be paid prior to filing the Petition, a down payment of whatever is comfortable for you is all that is needed to get started. You don't need to bring any paperwork or information to the initial consultation (usually with the attorney who will be representing you). You will receive a questionnaire where you will tell us all about your  income, expenses, assets, etc.; and once you are a client, we will take the phone calls from your creditors and confirm that you have retained an attorney to handle your bankruptcy. We will also download a credit report for you.

The up-front fees for Chapter 13 are the same; but the filing fee is $274, and the trustee will pay your attorney additional fees out of the plan payments he receives. (This is due to the additional work required to develop an acceptable Chapter 13 Plan and have it confirmed by the Court, not to mention the fact that your attorney remains attorney of record for the duration of your Plan.)

Unfortunately, we cannot accept your credit card to begin your bankruptcy because it could be looked upon as a form of fraud wherein you "borrowed" the funds with no intention of repaying. We can, however, accept check/debit cards and/or credit cards from family or friends.