Chapter 7 Bankruptcy: What Documents Do I Need?

August 23, 2009

You may have heard there is a lot of paperwork involved in filing for bankruptcy. To some extent this is true, but our office can help eliminate much of it by getting information about your creditors or tax transcripts directly from the credit bureaus and IRS.

You will still need to gather some documents, however. A partial list appears below. Because every case is different, you will probably need to gather a few additional documents for your particular case.

PLEASE NOTE: You do not need to have all of these documents in order to make an appointment for a consultation with our office.

We provide this list to help you in your bankruptcy pre-planning. It is easier to save the documents as you receive them (monthly bills, for example) than it is to gather them all at once.

Credit counseling certificate

You need a certificate showing you completed your Trustee-approved credit counseling course. You can complete this course online, and the certificate is good for 6 months after the date you receive it. See the U.S. Trustee website at this link to find a list of approved courses.

Copies of Federal Tax Returns

Your attorney will need to review at least the past 2 years of federal tax returns. If you do not have these, we can order transcripts for you.

Copies of Credit Reports

While we will order copies of your credit reports for you when it is time to complete your bankruptcy petition, it is a good idea for you to order a copy in advance and review it.

After reviewing your credit report, make a list of any creditors who do not appear on the credit report. Even if they do not appear on your credit report, creditors must be notified of your bankruptcy.

Examples of creditors who often do not report to the bureaus include doctors, dentists, and debt collectors. Loans made by family members are also unlikely to be reported to the credit bureaus.

See this link for information about ordering free or reduced-cost credit reports.

Other documents

Other documents you will likely need in preparing your filing:

Pay check stubs for the past six months for both filer and spouse,
A photocopy of your driver’s license and social security card,
Federal Tax returns for at least the last two years,
Personal bank account statements for the past year,
Business bank account statements for the past year if you operate a business,
All credit card statements, loan statements, mortgage statements, and utility bills for the past six months,
Any collection letters, lawsuit papers, complaints, or attorney notices,
Information about any collection phone calls you have been receiving (name of collection company, phone number, what debt they trying to collect),
Copy of deeds for real estate you own,
If divorced, a copy of the divorce decree and any agreements relating to property settlements under the divorce, and
Copies of alimony or child support orders in effect.