Western District Of Washington Bankruptcy

A Chapter 7 bankruptcy will generally discharge your unsecured debts, such as credit card debt, medical bills and unsecured personal loans. The court will discharge these debts at the end of the process, generally about four to six months after you start.

How soon can you file for Chapter 13 after Chapter 7 bankruptcy? In order to get debts discharged through Chapter 13, you must wait four years after filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

However, if your first bankruptcy case was dismissed, including a voluntary dismissal, you can generally file again for either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 at any time.Similarly, the automatic stay is limited to 30 days if a debtor files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy within one year of a previous case being dismissed.

Key Takeaways. Chapter 7 bankruptcy doesn't require a repayment plan but does require you to liquidate or sell nonexempt assets to pay back creditors.Chapter 13 bankruptcy eliminates qualified debt through a repayment plan over a three- or five-year period.

Chapter 11 bankruptcy works well for businesses and individuals whose debt exceeds the Chapter 13 bankruptcy limits. In most cases, Chapter 13 is the better choice for qualifying individuals and sole proprietors.

Chapter 13 Is Likely to Worsen Your Finances When your Chapter 13 case is dismissed, you are often in a far worse financial position. That's because the interest on your unpaid debts has continued to mount as you've struggled to make payments. And once you're out of bankruptcy protection, you have more debt than ever.

A Chapter 13 bankruptcy involves repaying some or all of your debt over a three- to- five-year period, while a Chapter 7 bankruptcy involves wiping out most of your debts without paying them back.In that way, a Chapter 13 may be better for your credit than a Chapter 7.

The cost for filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy is $306. This fee may not be waived but you may be able to pay it in installments. The fee of $281 for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy cannot be waived.

In many cases, Chapter 7 bankruptcy is a better fit than Chapter 13 bankruptcy. For instance, Chapter 7 is quicker, many filers can keep all or most of their property, and filers don't pay creditors through a three- to five-year Chapter 13 repayment plan.