By the time you finish reading this, you will know more about Chapter 13 bankruptcy. As we all know there are a number of different types of bankruptcy and it is essential to at least know the difference. Chapter 13 is not available for all kinds of situations and it should only be filed by the best qualified candidate.

Quick Outline of Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Chapter 13 can be filed by individuals. It can only be filed by an individual who has a steady and secure source of income.

What exactly is Chapter 13? Chapter 13 is actually a repayment plan. Individual will work together with the court, and creditor to come out with a repayment plan which is based according to the individual’s income.

Filing Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

The new bankruptcy laws require you to first eek counseling about your credits. You will then need to file paperwork before the process of Chapter 13 begins.

After that process is done, your income and debts are gone through and a payment plan will be drawn out according to your income. However, both the creditors and you, and most importantly the court have to agree with the plan.

As you can see, this is a lot of work and also time consuming as there are a lot of paperwork to be done and also court hearings to attend. However, the best suggestion I can offer you is that you should have a lawyer who can help you with negotiations with creditors. This may not be easy but trust me, it is worth the trouble. This way, you have nothing to worry about.

It may take up a lot of you time before it gets finalize but you will be on the winning end after all the trouble you went through.

Things to Know

After you have read all these, you may be wondering why you should file for Chapter 13 if it is only a repayment plan. Well, my answer to that is so that you can get protected by the court. Going to court and getting the court involved is not always a bad thing.

As mentioned above, you should file for Chapter 13 instead of debt consolidation because the court can protect you. Other than that, you will also have more options. The court will ensure that you are able to afford the repayment plan and thus treated like a willing party.

Additionally, once you file for bankruptcy you are protected. Creditors can no longer pursue collections. That means you may be able to protect your assets and prevent court cases.

Of course, as with bankruptcy in general, it is always best to avoid it if possible. You can start with trying to get creditors to work with you and then only move to bankruptcy if you are feeling threatened with losing assets and court proceedings.