Legal Services | Attorney | Personal Bankruptcy | Business Bankruptcy | Contact Us | Locations | Free Consultation

Waco Bankruptcy - Chapter 7 Bankruptcy vs. Chapter 13

When you are overwhelmed with debt and need to obtain debt relief through Bankruptcy, deciding on which Chapter of Bankruptcy is best suited for you will depend on your personal financial condition. If you need to file for Bankruptcy, contact The Law Offices of R.J.Atkinson. We have helped thousands obtain debt relief through bankruptcy and we may be able to help you. Our Bankruptcy Attorneys can provide you a free bankruptcy evaluation to determine your bankruptcy options and can assist you in determining what is the best course of action for you.

Bankruptcy is a debt relief option that can provide the opportunity to get a fresh financial start. Bankruptcy laws were designed to give honest people a new financial start, free from their burdensome debt. Bankruptcy has been around a long time and millions have filed for bankruptcy to get rid of debt or reorganize their finances. Once you have decided to file for bankruptcy, choosing whether to file Chapter 7 Bankruptcy or a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy is a major consideration. The following is a brief overview of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13.

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy: Debt Liquidation and Debt Elimination

The most popular bankruptcy is Chapter 7. It is often called a “liquidation” or “straight” bankruptcy because it eliminates or “discharges” most debts. Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is available to both individuals and businesses. For people, it is kind of like a going out of business sale. You give all of your property to a trustee appointed by the bankruptcy Court and the trustee in turn sells the “non-exempt” property or in simpler terms the property you are not allowed to keep by law and distributes the proceeds, if any to the creditors. If there is no money available then the court will issue an order saying that any debts are discharged which means the person is no longer obligated to pay the debt. It is eliminated.

In case you are wondering, most people who file for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in Texas are able to keep all of their property. That’s because the State of Texas allows individuals to keep a generous amount of property such as $30,000.00 worth of personal property, one vehicle per licensed driver in the household, and $125,000.00 equity in a home. There are some debts that Chapter 7 cannot discharge such as child support and certain taxes, but for the most part, a person who is eligible to file for Chapter 7 can eliminate their unsecured debts and keep their property.

Chapter 7 Liquidation Under The Bankruptcy Code cases may be filed by an individual, corporation, or a partnership.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy: Personal Debt Reorganization or Repayment of Debt

A Chapter 13 bankruptcy is a personal reorganization bankruptcy that provides a way for people to reorganize their debts. It is similar to a Chapter 11 where a business is allowed to operate while getting some breathing room except the difference is that Chapter 13 is for a person and not a business. In essence, you as an individual come up with a repayment plan based on your disposable income, and propose a plan of repayment for a period of 3 to 5 years.

A Chapter 13 Bankruptcy is also called a wage earner's plan since it enables individuals with regular income to develop a plan to repay all or part of their debts. Under Chapter 13, a debtor proposes a repayment plan to make installments to creditors over three to five years with court approval. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy can be a debt relief option for people who have “non-exempt property” that they want to keep. It can also only an option for those individuals who have predictable income and whose income is sufficient to pay their reasonable expenses with some money left over to pay towards their debts. Chapter 13 permits individuals to keep their property and is often used to stop foreclosure, stop repossession, and to repay past due child support.

Chapter 13 debtors propose a repayment plan that must be approved by the court, and after completion of their payments under the repayment plan; they receive a discharge for most debts. Chapter 13 Individual Debt Adjustment is not available to corporations or partnerships.

Should you File Chapter 7 or Chapter 13?

Whether you should file for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 is a question only you can answer, and only after knowing all the facts and possible outcomes as they relate to your particular financial situation.

If we; “The Law Offices of R.J.Atkinson”, were blindly asked in the most general terms whether someone should file a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13; we would probably venture to say that we are partial to filing Chapter 7. That’s because the purpose of bankruptcy of any kind is to obtain a fresh financial start. Chapter 7 Bankruptcy accomplishes starting over fairly quickly without the need of a 3 or 5 year repayment plan. Chapter 7 can eliminate burdensome dischargeable debt while allowing most Texas residents using Texas Exemptions to keep all of their personal property or up to $30,000.00 worth, their home’s equity up to $125,000.00, their car, their wages, and maybe allow them to regain their peace of mind. All that, not to mention stopping creditor harassment, as well as not having to repay any dischargeable unsecured debt such as credit cards, payday loans, medical bills, and certain income taxes.

Now just because we believe the best freshest financial start in Bankruptcy is the cleanest slate which comes as a Chapter 7, doesn’t mean that we are opposed to, or don’t recommend filing for Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. To the contrary, Chapter 13 is sometimes the best and only choice when facing foreclosure, repossession, child support arrears, or back taxes. And, you may not have a choice when you consider your income and The Means Test. Just because you want to file for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy relief, doesn’t mean you are eligible to do so.

If your income exceeds the median income for Texas, you will in all likelihood have to file Chapter 13 as opposed to a Chapter 7. If the bankruptcy "means test," determines that you have the means to fund a Chapter 13 repayment plan, which can come down to $100.00 extra a month after regular expenses, then you are usually required to file a Chapter 13.

Also, if you have received a previous discharge in bankruptcy by way of a Chapter 7 or a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy that was filed in the last eight years, you won’t be eligible to file for Chapter 7. Your only bankruptcy option would be to file a Chapter 13.

If you don’t have a steady or regular source of income to fund a Chapter 13 Plan, you can’t file a Chapter 13.

Another thing to consider is whether or not you are current on loans secured by collateral you want to keep such as your home or car. You have to be current on a loan in order to reaffirm the debt in a Chapter 7, however whether you are current or behind is irrelevant in a Chapter 13 if you want to keep the collateral, because a Chapter 13 can cure loan delinquency.

One more consideration is the types of debts you owe. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy will protect you from certain types of debts a Chapter 7 will not cure.

So is it Chapter 7 or Chapter 13?

The bottom line is that every situation is different and no 2 cases are the same. Only you can weigh the facts and equities in to make a decision between Chapter 7 Bankruptcy vs. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy.

If you have questions about filing for Bankruptcy or need help to make a decision between filing Chapter 7 Bankruptcy vs. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy contact the Waco Bankruptcy Lawyers at The Law Offices of R.J.Atkinson for a free initial consultation to discuss your debt relief options. With locations in Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Waco, and other cities in Texas, The Law Offices of R.J.Atkinson helps Texans file for Bankruptcy under the Bankruptcy Code.

Waco Bankruptcy Attorney R.J.Atkinson — AustinHoustonDallasSan Antonio

Call for a Free Bankruptcy Evaluation:

footer
Please read: Certification | Disclaimer | TexasLegalWeb | State Bar of Texas | Resource LinksLast Updated March 28, 2024
RJABANKRUPTCY © 2004 - 2024 RJ Atkinson, LLP Attorney At Law – All Rights Reserved
Austin Bankruptcy | San Antonio Bankruptcy | Houston Bankruptcy | Dallas Bankruptcy
Affordable Bankruptcy Fees | IRS Tax Problems
RJA Bankruptcy Attorney offer Affordable Bankruptcy, Debt Relief and Debt Consolidation. Texas Bankruptcy Lawyer offer Low Cost Bankruptcy Attorney Fees in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, San Antonio, & Houston *Principal Office.

Bankruptcy Lawyer / Attorney RJ Atkinson provides Chapter 7, 11, 12, 13, Bankruptcy, Debt Relief & Discount Legal Services
Filing Bankruptcy can sometimes be the fastest way to get out of debt and may be the most affordable way to get a fresh financial start. Chapter 7 Bankruptcy can quickly wipe out your debts, increase your credit score, stop wage garnishments, get rid of credit card debt, eliminate medical bills, stop payday loans, stop bill collectors, erase negative credit reporting, and reestablish new credit after bankruptcy. RJ Atkinson – Bankruptcy Lawyer have payment plans to make filing Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy affordable which include low cost flat fees for Chapter 7 that may be considered the cheapest bankruptcy attorney fees depending on the costs other bankruptcy lawyer charge. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy can save your home from foreclosure, save your car from repossession, lower monthly payments, reduce interest rates, get rid of late fees, reduce credit card interest, payoff high credit card debt, raise your credit score, stop creditor harassment, get rid of debt, reduce debt, eliminate creditor calls at work, stop collection calls, start over financially, discharge debts and/or be debt free in 3 to 5 years. IRS tax problems, tax levies, wage garnishments, back taxes, payroll taxes, income taxes can often be handled in Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Divorce/Bankruptcy – past due child support arrears, alimony, spousal support, and divorce debt can often be handled in chapter 13 bankruptcy. The Law Offices of RJ Atkinson handles debt consolidation, loan modifications, credit card debt settlement, debt negotiation, lawsuit defense, IRS problems, credit card lawsuits, TROs temporary restraining orders to foreclosure, forbearance agreements to foreclosure, FDCPA Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits, FCRA Fair Credit Reporting Act lawsuits, credit report disputes, debt collection lawsuits, adversary complaints in bankruptcy, bankruptcies, foreclosure workouts, mortgage short sales, real estate property tax disputes, civil litigation, commercial litigation, tax lawsuits, small business bankruptcy, corporate bankruptcy, business creditor representation, and most every kind of debt related issue or financially based legal problem on a case by case basis.
Pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §528, “We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code.”
R.J.Atkinson Texas Bankruptcy Lawyer - Principal Office: 8000 I.H. 10 West, Suite 600, San Antonio, TX 78230-3868. Phone: 800-436-9056