The current filing fee for a chapter 7 case is $299 and for a chapter 13 case it is $274. In some cases the court may waive the filing fee in a chapter 7 case if your income is below specified levels and the court finds that you cannot pay the filing fee in installments. The court fees are in addition to the fees charged by our firm for handling your case.
Do I have to list all my creditors on the bankruptcy schedules?
You must list all your debts, with the name and address of the creditors. This is so creditors receive notice of the bankruptcy and get their fair share of any money paid to creditors. You may think that you should omit a creditor because you want to continue to pay the debt. This would violate the law, and it is unnecessary because you can always choose to pay a debt voluntarily, even though the debt has been discharged and there is no legal obligation to make payment. However, creditors are prohibited from taking any action to collect discharged debts.
What should I do if a creditor demands payment of a debt after I file my case?
Most efforts by a creditor to collect a pre-petition debt (one that you owe as of the filing of your case) or to obtain your property without the permission of the bankruptcy court are violations of the automatic stay. If this happens you should contact us immediately.