Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
The 'fresh start' liquidation bankruptcy: who qualifies under the means test, what property you keep, the step-by-step process and the 341 meeting, the trustee’s role, your house and car, and which debts survive.
All Chapter 7 Bankruptcy guides
- The Chapter 7 Discharge: What It Does and When It Arrives
The Chapter 7 discharge wipes out personal liability for most debts and bars creditors from ever collecting them. Here's what it covers and when it arrives.
- Can a Chapter 7 Case Be Dismissed for "Abuse"?
Yes — under 11 U.S.C. 707(b) a Chapter 7 can be dismissed for "abuse" via the means test or your overall circumstances. Here's how it works.
- The Means Test When Your Income Is Above the Median
Above-median income doesn't bar Chapter 7. Learn how allowed expenses and special circumstances shape the rest of the means test.
- The 341 Meeting of Creditors: What to Expect
The 341 meeting is a short, routine trustee interview under oath — not a court hearing. Here's how to prepare and what happens next.
- The Role of the Bankruptcy Trustee
Who the bankruptcy trustee is, what they do at your 341 meeting, and why honesty on your schedules matters in Chapter 7 or 13.
- Redemption in Chapter 7: Paying a Lump Sum to Keep Property
Redemption lets you keep a car by paying its current value in one lump sum instead of the full loan balance. Here's how 11 U.S.C. § 722 works.
- What Happens to Your Property in Chapter 7?
Most Chapter 7 filers keep everything. Here's how exemptions, non-exempt property, and "no-asset" cases actually work.
- Reopening a Closed Bankruptcy Case
A closed bankruptcy case can be reopened to add a creditor, fix a missed lien motion, enforce your discharge, or handle a new asset.
- What Debts Are Not Wiped Out by Chapter 7?
Which debts survive Chapter 7 (student loans, taxes, support, fines, fraud) and why a discharge still helps even so.
- Can You Keep Your House in Chapter 7?
Most Chapter 7 filers keep their home if equity is exempt and payments stay current. Here's how the math and the mortgage decision actually work.
- Preferences and Fraudulent Transfers Before Bankruptcy
Repaying a relative or selling property cheap before filing bankruptcy can be undone by the trustee. Learn the preference and fraudulent-transfer rules.
- Can You Keep Your Car in Chapter 7?
Yes, most Chapter 7 filers keep their car. Learn how vehicle exemptions, reaffirmation, and redemption work, and where to check current limits.
- What Is a "No-Asset" Chapter 7 Case?
Most Chapter 7 cases are "no-asset" - exempt property means the trustee has nothing to sell. Here's why that's normal and good.
- Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Explained
How Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharges debt in a few months, what a trustee can and can't take, who qualifies, and the filing-to-discharge timeline.
- The Chapter 7 Process Step by Step
A plain-English walkthrough of Chapter 7 bankruptcy from credit counseling to discharge, with the deadlines that trip people up.
- The Chapter 7 Means Test: Do You Qualify?
How the Chapter 7 means test's two income steps work, and why failing it usually points to Chapter 13 instead.