A common concern for many people considering filing for bankruptcy is whether they will be able to protect their wages after they file. The Federal Bankruptcy Code is very generous about allowing debtors to keep the money that they earn from work to provide for their basic needed monthly bills and expenses.

A lien is defined by the Federal Bankruptcy Code as a “charge against or interest in property to secure payment of a debt or performance of an obligation” owed by a debtor to a creditor. Generally speaking, a bankruptcy case discharges, or wipes out, debt owed to creditors but does not eliminate a creditor’s lien held against the debtor’s property.

Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases typically last three to four months and do not require that the debtor make any payments to their creditors. On the other hand, chapter 13 cases last three to five years and do require that the debtor make monthly payments to their creditors before receiving a discharge of their remaining debt once their case is finished.

In order for a person to file their bankruptcy case in the State of Minnesota they must either be a current resident of this State, have their principal place of business or principal assets here, or be “domiciled” in the State. Practically speaking, this means that they need to be a resident living, or doing business, in Minnesota in order to file their case here.

In a chapter 13 bankruptcy case, the case is typically closed shortly after the debtor completes their repayment plan and receives a discharge of their debts or shortly after their case is dismissed by the court if they are unable to successfully complete their plan.

Alternatively, in a chapter 7 case, the bankruptcy discharge normally automatically occurs 60 days from the date of the creditor’s meeting (a.k.a. the “341 meeting”).

A person who files for bankruptcy (a.k.a. the “debtor”) is protected from creditors by the “automatic stay” which begins on the day they file their petition with the bankruptcy court.

The automatic stay is a court order that prohibits creditors from collecting on debts owed by the debtor, with very limited exceptions (i.e. creditors to whom the debtor owes alimony or child support are not stopped by the automatic stay).

The purpose of bankruptcy is to provide financial relief to debtors who can no longer afford to continue paying their debts. This doesn’t necessarily mean that creditors will get nothing simply because the debtor files for bankruptcy.

A common concern for many people filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy is whether their retirement account will be protected. Bankruptcy law is very generous about protecting debtors’ retirement accounts such as IRAs, 401ks, and pensions. The vast majority of these retirement plans are “exempt,” or fully protected, under law.

A creditor who sues a person and gets a court judgement against them can collect the money that the person owes the creditor through a garnishment of the person’s wages. To do so, the creditor can serve a summons on the person’s employer directing them to withhold their wages to be paid to the creditor.

A common concern for people considering filing for bankruptcy is whether they will be restricted from buying or selling property, or taking out more debt, during their bankruptcy case. Whether these types of transactions are permitted partially depends on whether they file a chapter 13 or chapter 7 bankruptcy case.

A common concern for people who are filing for chapter 7 and chapter 13 bankruptcy is whether others will find out about their bankruptcy, and if so, whether they will get discriminated against for filing. One concern people often have is whether friends or family members will discover that they filed for bankruptcy.

There are lots of reasons that people file for bankruptcy. One very common reason is because they have lots of medical debt. Medical services can be very expensive, particularly for those who have no or little insurance. Medical debt is considered general unsecured debt, just like credit cards and personal loans that are not secured by any collateral. This type of debt can be completely wiped out by a bankruptcy discharge.

Whether a bankruptcy can wipe out debt owed to the government is one question that many people have when considering filing for a chapter 7 or chapter 13 bankruptcy. Whether a bankruptcy discharge will eliminate this type of debt depends on the specific nature of the debt owed to the government. One common form of government debt is tax debt. Tax debt is generally not dischargeable in bankruptcy.

Tax debt is a major reason that people file for bankruptcy. Despite the fact that the State and Federal taxing authorities (i.e. the IRS and MN Department of Revenue) are often willing to offer payment plans to assist people with this type of debt, owing a large amount of taxes can create both a financial and emotional burden. This is especially true when one has other expenses, debts and bills with which to contend.

Bankruptcy can often provide a great deal of assistance for those dealing with lots of tax debt.

Whether you file for a chapter 7 or chapter 13 bankruptcy, you will be protected from most collection efforts from most types of creditors. This protection begins on the very day you file your case until the day your case is closed, which typically occurs shortly after the court enters the Order discharging your debts. This court protection from creditors is known as the “automatic stay” and is provided by Section 362 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code.

The court can dismiss your case, upon request of the bankruptcy trustee, for good cause, including things like unreasonable delay by the debtor, failure by the debtor to timely file documents, failure by the debtor to pay fees, and failure to make payments in a chapter 13 plan.

Dismissal is typically granted when the debtor does not fulfil their obligations under the Bankruptcy Code to the harm of creditors. However, is it possible for the debtor to voluntarily dismiss their case on their own?