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This page shows how to file DIY Bankruptcy without a lawyer tutorial with fees and timelines showing you how to and where to discharge your debts 100 days after you file..

BANKRUPTCY WITHOUT A LAWYER OVERVIEW

Filing bankruptcy without a lawyer using this tutorial today should lead to a discharge of your debts within 100 days, with a cost around $50 for EZBankruptcyForms bankruptcy software for consumers plus bankruptcy filing fees.

Handling this on your own, without any bankruptcy software for consumers can be stressful. Essentially, you are auditing your financial life for review by the Federal Government, filling out a lot of paperwork, passing two online debtor courses, and attending one or more bankruptcy meetings.

Should you choose to file bankruptcy without a lawyer, you can either choose a Bankruptcy Petition Preparer to "prepare" your paperwork, while handling all bankruptcy communications yourself, OR file "Pro Se" (representing yourself).

There is nothing that says you must hire a lawyer to get bankruptcy relief. Choosing a Lawyer or BPP DOES NOT guarantee there will not be errors (they can make mistakes, too).

CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY CHAPTERS

Individuals filing Bankruptcy Without a Lawyer can benefit from using this bankruptcy tutorial and EZBankruptcyForms bankruptcy software for consumers to file bankruptcy. There are many chapters of bankruptcy, and most have to do with corporations. The only chapters consumers need to concerned with are Chapter 7 and Chapter 13, as the other chapters are for corporations.

Chapter 7 bankruptcy is straightforward, lasts about 100 days after you file, and allows you to "discharge" (get rid of) ALL your unsecured debt, allowing you to get a "fresh start" on your finances, while keeping things like your car and your home. There are income thresholds to file Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, and you are only allowed to file Chapter 7 once every eight years. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy is the far less popular of the two, requires a 3 to 5 year repayment plan, and is discussed in further detail in our Chapter 13 bankruptcy tutorial. Some individuals who do not qualify for Chapter 7 only have Chapter 13 as an option.

CHAPTER 7 BANKRUPTCY INCOME GUIDELINES

Although bankruptcy is a Federal Law, qualifying for Chapter 7 bankruptcy takes into account both the size of your household and the state in which you live. The courts want something in writing stating your family size and income, and they have created a form to enter the information. That form is a little confusing to fill out, so we simplified it for your sampling, using EZBankruptcyForms FREE MEANS TEST, which will open in a separate tab if you click the link. Using our link, it should take less than 5 minutes to download and complete. If your household income for your family size falls below the threshold for your state, you have "Passed the Means Test", and thus qualify to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

COST TO FILE CHAPTER 7 BANKRUPTCY

When filing bankruptcy without a lawyer on December 22, 2024, our EZ software will cost about $50, and you should expect to pay $338 in court filing fees and $40-$60 in online education costs, unless you qualify for a bankruptcy fee waiver. The income guidelines for a fee waiver are much more restrictive than the guidelines for qualifying for Chapter 7, and acceptance by the court is not guaranteed.

BANKRUPTCY WITHOUT A LAWYER PAPERWORK PREPARATION

Itemizing your assets and liabilities on paper (filling out the bankruptcy paperwork) is the most tedious step in the bankruptcy filing process. Pull a credit report on yourself (you're allowed one free one per year) from a reporting agency online to get your liabilities, and list all your assets (bank accounts, cars, household items, etc). There are 18-20 separate forms you will need to fill out. Some of those you'll be able to fill out easily WITHOUT some sort of software. It will take a lot of time. The difference between the definition of "a lot of time" being several hours or several days is based on whether you decide to use some sort of bankruptcy software or not to fill out the paperwork. When filing bankruptcy without a lawyer, we feel the $49 cost spent for EZBankruptcyForms bankruptcy software for consumers is well worth the 30-40 hours of time saved.

PRE-FILING CREDIT COUNSELING

Ironically, you complete this step of bankruptcy without a lawyer even if you have hired a lawyer. This is an online class that you must pass in order to receive a Credit Counseling "Certificate of Completion" that you would include in your bankruptcy paperwork. The online class takes about an hour, asks very basic questions about creditworthiness and is no fail, as described in this Bankruptcy Without a Lawyer Video Tutorial. You can choose from EZBankruptcyForms.com's Bankruptcy Approved Credit Counseling Provider list to find agencies providing this service of between $20-$30. Typically, when you pass the class online the certificate will be emailed to you the next day. When filing bankruptcy without an attorney, make sure you include this certificate with your paperwork.

FILING YOUR BANKRUPTCY PAPERWORK WITHOUT A LAWYER("DAY ZERO")

When filing bankruptcy pro-se, most states require you to file your completed, signed and printed forms at the bankruptcy clerk office. Use EZBankruptcyForms Bankruptcy Court Locator to find your local bankruptcy court and pay any applicable fees in cash or money order only.
You should receive a receipt with your case number, Bankruptcy Judge name, Bankruptcy Trustee name, and court date for your "Meeting of Creditors" (about 40 days out). On this date, your "Automatic Bankruptcy Stay" begins, which stops all collection efforts (including wage garnishment), all harassment, and all foreclosure actions until the end of your bankruptcy proceedings unless your creditor petitions the court in writing. We refer to this as "Day Zero" of your bankruptcy filing.

MAKE ANY CORRECTIONS AND AMMENDMENTS AS NECESSARY (DAY 1 - 39)

After you file, the bankruptcy trustee will review your paperwork, and will let you know in writing if any required forms are missing. Of the 18 forms you filed, only four of them are required by law. Each form you have submitted has a specific purpose. From "Who you are" (Name and SSN), to "What you're doing" (Filing Chapter 7), to "How You Qualify" (Means Test), to "Who you owe" (Creditors), to "What you'll keep and why" (Property), each form has different, specific information. Technically, you could file for bankruptcy, forget to fill out the Property form, and, since you didn't state what property you wanted to keep and why, your creditors can then take that property as part of your bankruptcy.

The bankruptcy Trustee will receive and review your forms within this period of about 40 days, and let you know if you have any discrepancies (for example, if you put the wrong SSN with your name). The Trustee WILL NOT let you know if you are not filing to the best of your abilities (for example, if you forgot to include your car, your house, or your bank account as properties you wanted to keep). Review your file yourself, and make sure that you are filing to the best of your abilities.

You should get something in the mail stating all the separate forms that have been received, and you will also probably get something stating your upcoming "341 Meeting of Creditors" date. Part of the Trustee's job in making sure you are not committing bankruptcy fraud is asking for YOUR LAST TWO BANK STATEMENTS, LAST TWO MONTH'S PAYSTUBS, LAST YEARS TAX FORMS AND ANY PAPERWORK ON REAL ESTATE YOU OWN, and will want to review it before your Meeting of Creditors. Respond to every correspondence your trustee or the court sends you that require a response.

If you find a mistake in one of the forms you initially submitted (either by the Trustee letting you know of a discrepancy or you discovering something something on your own), now would be the time to submit an ammended form in it's place. If you need to make an ammendment filing bankruptcy without a lawyer, you only need to ammend that particular form, not all of the forms.

MEETING OF CREDITORS (DAY 40)

Whether you file bankruptcy with or without a lawyer or not YOU must personally attend your Meeting of Creditors. Be on time. Bankruptcy is a Federal Law, so you will be required to bring a Photo ID AND YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY CARD for identification. Don't expect to see creditors there, as you will see other bankruptcy filers with their lawyers. Answer all questions posed to you by the Trustee truthfully. They use the same standard questions for every filer whether or not they file bankruptcy with an attorney, such as: Your name and address for the record. Is the listed social security number correct as was originally issued? Did you read, sign, and understand the petition? Are there any errors or omission? Have you listed all assets and all creditors? These questions are asked to have a verbal record that this is the file you are submitting, and this is the way you wanted it submitted. It is also used to prevent fraud. If you have done everything honestly to this point, you should be fine, and this meeting should take about 10 minutes or less.

POST-FILING DEBTOR EDUCATION (DAY 41 - 85)

WITHIN 45 DAYS AFTER THE MEETING of CREDITORS: Submit certificate of completion for your post-filing Personal Financial Management Instruction Course. THIS IS MANDATORY and is a different course from the credit counseling course mentioned earlier. It is an online class that will take two hours to complete and cost about $20-$30. Use EZBankruptcyForms Bankruptcy Approved Debtor Education Providers list to find agencies providing this service.

DEBTS ARE DISCHARGED (about DAY 100, April 1)

Your creditors have 60 days to dispute your debts in writing after your Meeting of Creditors. If you don't receive anything any written correspondence from your creditors (it will be extremely obvious if you do) disputing your bankruptcy and you have submitted your Personal Management Certificate in the time frame mentioned above, your debts should be discharged 61 days after your Meeting of Creditors, which completes your 100 days of bankruptcy.

BANKRUPTCY WITHOUT A LAWYER SUMMARY

This bankruptcy without a lawyer tutorial provides the bankruptcy timelines, software and filing fees with fee waiver options, income guidelines and bankruptcy court locations to prepare the pro se filer to receive a discharge of their Chapter 7 debts within 100 days at the most minimal cost.

EZBankruptcyForms bankruptcy without a lawyer tutorial will give you a clear understanding of how to file Chapter 7. Our EZBankruptcyForms bankruptcy software for consumers will make the preparation of the bankruptcy paperwork much easier.