Debts & Discharge
Which debts bankruptcy actually wipes out and which survive: student loans, taxes, child support and alimony, medical bills, reaffirmed debts, liens, cosigned debts, and when a discharge can be denied.
All Debts & Discharge guides
- Can Bankruptcy Get Your Repossessed Car Back?
If your car was repossessed but not yet sold, bankruptcy can help - but you're racing the auction clock. Here's how it actually works.
- Secured vs. Unsecured Debt in Bankruptcy
Secured debts have collateral a creditor can take; unsecured debts don't. How bankruptcy treats each in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13, explained plainly.
- Bankruptcy and HOA or Condo Dues
HOA/condo dues due before you file can be discharged, but dues after filing stay yours until title actually transfers - even during foreclosure.
- Payday Loans and Title Loans in Bankruptcy
Payday loans usually discharge as unsecured debt; title loans are secured by your car and must be reaffirmed, redeemed, or surrendered.
- What Debts Can Bankruptcy Discharge (and Which It Can't)
A plain-English guide to which debts bankruptcy can erase (credit cards, medical bills) and which survive (student loans, taxes, support).
- Old, Time-Barred Debts and Bankruptcy
A debt past your state's statute of limitations still exists and can surface in bankruptcy - here's how, and why it's still worth discharging.
- What Happens to a Lawsuit Judgment in Bankruptcy?
Bankruptcy usually discharges the debt behind a lawsuit judgment, but a recorded judgment lien can survive unless avoided under 11 U.S.C. § 522(f).
- Bankruptcy and Cosigners: What Happens to Them?
Your bankruptcy discharge doesn't erase a cosigner's debt. Learn how Chapter 13's codebtor stay can protect them and why Chapter 7 usually can't.
- Tax Debt vs. Tax Liens in Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy can discharge old income tax debt, but a tax lien recorded before you filed can still reach your property afterward.
- Bankruptcy and Medical Debt
Medical bills are ordinary unsecured debt that bankruptcy fully discharges. Learn the options, alternatives, and what to know before you file.
- Reaffirmation Agreements: Keeping a Debt in Bankruptcy
What a bankruptcy reaffirmation agreement is, why courts can refuse one, and the default risk that can erase the fresh start it was meant to protect.
- Can Bankruptcy Erase Student Loans?
Student loans aren't automatically wiped out in bankruptcy, but discharge is possible by proving "undue hardship." Here's how that actually works.
- Dividing Debt in Divorce vs. Discharging It in Bankruptcy
Support debts never discharge in bankruptcy, and Chapter 7 leaves property-settlement debt too - but Chapter 13 can wipe it out.
- Can Bankruptcy Stop a Wage Garnishment?
Filing bankruptcy usually stops wage garnishment the same day. Learn what the automatic stay covers, what it can't stop, and how to act fast.
- Priority Debts in Bankruptcy: What Gets Paid First
Priority debts like recent taxes and child support get paid first in bankruptcy and usually aren't discharged. Here's how the pecking order works.
- Credit Unions and Bankruptcy: The Cross-Collateral Trap
Credit unions can cross-collateralize your car loan with other debts and set off your savings. How to spot it and protect yourself before filing.
- Can You Be Denied a Discharge?
Yes - a discharge can be denied entirely or lost for one debt. Learn the honesty rules that protect your bankruptcy fresh start.
- Can Bankruptcy Wipe Out Tax Debt?
Some old income tax debt can be discharged in bankruptcy if it meets strict timing rules. Here's when it works, when it doesn't, and Chapter 13 options.
- Private vs. Federal Student Loans in Bankruptcy
Not all student loans get the same bankruptcy protection. Some private loans may be dischargeable like ordinary debt - here's how to tell.
- Criminal Fines, Tickets, and Restitution in Bankruptcy
Criminal fines, court fees, and restitution survive Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy — and the automatic stay won't pause your criminal case.
- Nondischargeable Debts From Fraud or Willful Injury
Some debts survive bankruptcy only if a creditor sues and proves fraud, recent luxury spending, or willful injury. Here's how those fights work.
- Gambling Debts and Bankruptcy
Gambling debt is ordinary dischargeable debt in bankruptcy - but recent cash advances, casino markers, and disclosure rules carry real traps.
- Bankruptcy and a Lease or Back Rent
Bankruptcy can discharge back rent and a broken-lease debt, but the automatic stay barely helps once a landlord already has an eviction judgment.
- Government Overpayments and Bankruptcy
SSA, VA, unemployment, and SNAP overpayments are usually dischargeable in bankruptcy - unless the agency proves fraud, and unless it's recouped from your ongoing benefits.
- How to Try to Discharge Student Loans in Bankruptcy, Step by Step
Discharging student loans in bankruptcy requires a separate lawsuit and proof of undue hardship. Here are the real steps, including the DOJ process.
- What Happens to Liens in Bankruptcy (and Lien Stripping)
Bankruptcy discharges your debt, but a valid lien can survive on the property. Learn when Chapter 13 lien stripping or 522(f) avoidance can remove it.
- Bankruptcy and Child Support and Alimony
Child support and alimony survive bankruptcy. Here's why they're protected, what still happens during your case, and how filing can still help.