There are many questions that come up when you are considering filing for bankruptcy. One big question is how long the process will take. This isn’t something that can be answered definitively because it depends on several factors.
Two of the primary factors to consider when you are trying to determine how long a bankruptcy will take are the type of debt and the amount of the debt that are part of the case. This, as well as the saturation of the court where you file, can affect how long it will take.
There are some basic guidelines that you can refer to if you are curious about how long the process might take, but remember that this might be a different experience from your case.
In a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you will have to make payments on the debts that you owe. Since this is a repayment bankruptcy, it won’t be discharged for three to five years after you file. You can determine when the discharge should occur by looking at the payment plan. The bankruptcy can’t be discharged until all the payments are made.
A Chapter 7 bankruptcy is likely going to be discharged much sooner. This type of bankruptcy usually takes around four months after you file. This is because the court has to wait for certain deadlines to pass before the discharge can occur. It will usually happen around 60 days after you have the 341 meeting.
There are many other things to think about when you are filing for bankruptcy. Make sure that you fully understand what is going on so that you are prepared for the process.
Source: FindLaw, “How Long Does Bankruptcy Take?,” Christopher Coble, Esq., accessed July 26, 2017