The debtor must begin making payments to the chapter 13 trustee within 30 days after the debtor's plan is filed in the court, and the plan must be filed with the court within 15 days after the case is filed. The payments must be made regularly, usually on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis. If the debtor is employed, some courts require the payments to be made by the debtor's employer, otherwise, the payments cm be made by either the debtor or the debtor's employer.

If the debtor is temporarily out of work, injured, or otherwise unable to make the payments required under a chapter 13 plan, the plan can usually be modified so as to enable the debtor to resume the payments when he or she is able to do so. If it appears that the debtor's inability to make the required payments continue indefinitely or for an extended period, the case may be dismissed or converted to chapter 7.

if the debtor is unable to complete the payments due to circumstances for which he or she should not be held accountable, close the case and obtain a partial chapter 13 discharge as described in the answer to Question 6 above.

Most debtors have to appear in court at least twice: once for a hearing called the meeting of creditors, and once for a hearing on the confirmation of the debtor's chapter 13 plan. The meeting of creditors is usually held about a month after the case is filed. The confirmation hearing may be held on the same day as the meeting of creditors or at a later date The debtor's testimony should not be lengthy at either hearing, however.

The debtor has the right to either dismiss a chapter 13 case or convert it to chapter 7 at any time for any reason. However, if the debtor simply stops making the required chapter 13 payments, the court may compel the debtor or the filed employer to make the payments and to comply with the orders of the court. Therefore, the debtor who wishes to discontinue a chapter 13 case should do so through his or her attorney.

The Bankruptcy Code requires that the debtor contribute his or her projected disposable income toward the plan payments for the duration of the plan. Although the code imposes this requirement only when the trustee or a creditor demands it, in reality the trustee always requires it, at least at the beginning of the plan. Whether changes in salary will change the payment plan depends on a complete consideration of all of the circumstances.

It depends on numerous factors. The amount paid to unsecured, nonpriority creditors ranges between 0% to100% with interest depending on the case.

Yes, after applying for obtaining court permission. The Debtor can keep the funds generated from the sale if the funds would have been exempt in a Chapter 7. If an asset is sold and the sale results in payment of a secured creditor that had been receiving money from the trustee, the Debtor may also seek to have the trustee payment lowered.

Only two types of credit obligations or debts incurred after the filing of the case may be included in a chapter 13 plan. These are: consumer debts arising after the filing of the case that are for property or services necessary for the debtor's performance under the plan and that are approved in advance by the chapter 13 trustee. All other debts or credit obligations incurred after the case is filed must be paid by the debtor outside the plan.

Your Chapter 13 payments should be made payable to Chapter 13 Trustee and you should include your name and case number on your payment and mail it to:

The amount of your Chapter 13 payments are based upon your income, your monthly living expenses, and the amount of your total debts. This is known as the means test which is a pre-determined standard of living based on Internal Revenue Service standards. The Court will allow you to keep and spend so much of your income as determined by the means test.

wishes to repay all or most of his or her unsecured debts and has the income with which to do so within a reasonable time, has valuable nonexempt property or has valuable exempt property securing debts, either of which would be lost in a chapter 7 case, has one or more substantial debts that are dischargeable under chapter 13 but not under chapter 7, or has sufficient assets with which to repay most debts, but needs temporary relief from creditors in order to do so.

Under certain circumstances a debtor may be able to modify a secured debt such as a vehicle or mobile home. The debtor may have the need for bankruptcy relief for future bills and wants to hold open the possibility for conversion or refilling [e.g. anticipated medical bills].

Most of our clients have the Chapter 13 plan payments deducted directly from their paycheck. In the Eastern District of Texas, if for some reason you need to mail your payment directly to the Trustee, Janna Countryman, her address is: The payment must be either a cashiers check or money order made payable to "Standing Chapter 13 Trustee". Make sure you print your name, case number and SSN on the check.

The basic difference between chapter 7 and chapter 13 is that under chapter 7 the debtor's nonexempt property (if any exists) is liquidated to pay as much as possible of the debtor's debts, while in most chapter 13 cases a portion of the debtor's future income is used to pay as much of the debtor's debts as is feasible considering the debtor's circumstances.

A chapter 13 case is filed in the bankruptcy court in the district where the debtor has lived or maintained a principal place of business for the greatest portion of the last 180 days. The bankruptcy court is a unit of the federal district court.

PACER (Public Access To Court Electronic Records) A web-based format that allows anyone with internet access and a PACER login from the court to access official court records via the internet at https://ecf.wiwb.uscourts.gov

Usually all of the disposable income of the debtor and the debtor's spouse for a three-year period must be paid to the chapter 13 trustee. Disposable income is income received by the debtor and his or her spouse that is not reasonably necessary for the support of the debtor and the debtor's dependents.

There is no single answer to this question. Each case is unique and the length of time before you receive a dividend depends on the circumstances of the individual case. After the deadline for filing claims has expired, you should contact the case trustee and inquire as to the time frame for distribution of claim payments to creditors.

The debtor should immediately notify the bankruptcy court in writing of the new address. Because most communications between a debtor and the bankruptcy court are by mail, it is important that the bankruptcy court always have the debtor's current address. Otherwise, the debtor may fail to receive important notices and the chapter 7 case may be dismissed. Many courts have change-of-address forms for debtors to use when they move, and the debtor should obtain one if a move is planned.