how do you file bankruptcy in great falls, mt if you do not have money for a lawyer

by Cora Hartmann 10 min read

What debts Cannot be forgiven in bankruptcy?

The following debts are not discharged if a creditor objects during the case. Creditors must prove the debt fits one of these categories: Debts from fraud. Certain debts for luxury goods or services bought 90 days before filing.Apr 7, 2021

What are three things you Cannot file bankruptcy?

Debts Never Discharged in BankruptcyAlimony and child support.Certain unpaid taxes, such as tax liens. ... Debts for willful and malicious injury to another person or property.More items...

How much does it cost to file bankruptcy in SD?

a $338You have to pay a $338fee to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The court accepts fee payment by money order, cashier's check, or cash. If you can't afford the fee and you make less than 150% of the poverty level, you can apply for a waiver. To see if you qualify, see the South Dakota Fee Waiver Eligibility table below.Feb 15, 2022

Can I file bankruptcy if I own nothing?

Can You File For Bankruptcy With No Assets? Yes, you can still liquidate assets in Chapter 7 Bankruptcy even if you don't have a lot of assets or property. Your bankruptcy trustee will have to declare a no-asset bankruptcy and those creditors cannot make claims on your property or assets to pay your debts.Aug 5, 2016

What do you lose if you declare bankruptcy?

Filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy wipes out most types of debt, including credit card debt, medical bills, and personal loans. Your obligation to pay these types of unsecured debt is eliminated when the bankruptcy court grants you a bankruptcy discharge.Dec 12, 2021

What can they take during bankruptcies?

Generally, the types of assets that you can keep in a bankruptcy include:personal items and clothing.household furniture, food and equipment in your permanent home.tools necessary to your work.a motor vehicle with a value up to a certain limit, usually an older vehicle qualifies.certain farm property.

How can I file bankruptcy without losing everything?

In bankruptcy, you'll protect property you need to work and live with bankruptcy exemptions. Nonexempt property—usually luxury items—is either lost in Chapter 7 or kept and paid for through the Chapter 13 repayment plan. You won't lose all of your property when you file for bankruptcy.Oct 19, 2018

Is it better to go to collections or file bankruptcy?

Bankruptcy frees you from debt collection, but the headaches can linger for years. Debt settlement without bankruptcy can take more time but — if negotiated properly — can do less damage to your credit. Debt settlement stays on your credit report for seven years, but has less negative impact on your credit score.Feb 14, 2022

Why you should not declare bankruptcy?

Filing for bankruptcy has a bad reputation in many circles due to the fact that it damages your credit and involves discharging debts that will likely never be repaid. Sure, Chapter 7 bankruptcy isn't great for your credit score and will appear as a public record for 10 years after filing.Oct 6, 2021

How much does it cost to file Chapter 7 in Montana?

Get Your Filing Fee. The fee for filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Montana is $338. If your income is more than 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, you are not eligible to have your court filing fee waived.

What is Chapter 7 exemption in Montana?

When you file Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Montana you must use the Montana bankruptcy exemptions if you have lived in Big Sky Country for at least two years. Exempt property is protected from your creditors, meaning not even a Chapter 7 trustee can reach it. Even though the Montana bankruptcy exemptions do not have a "wildcard" that can be used for any kind of property like the federal bankruptcy exemptions, your typical household goods and furnishings, including items like jewelry, firearms, and sporting goods are protected up to a combined value of $4,500, as long as each item is worth $600 or less individually.

What is Upsolve for bankruptcy?

Upsolve is a nonprofit tool that helps you file bankruptcy for free. Think TurboTax for bankruptcy. Get free education, customer support, and community. Featured in Forbes 4x and funded by institutions like Harvard University so we'll never ask you for a credit card. Explore our free tool

What is a 341 meeting?

The 341 meeting gets its name from the section of the Bankruptcy Code that mandates it. It's also called a creditors' meeting or the meeting of creditors , though in reality it's mostly a meeting between a person who filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Montana and the trustee that has been assigned to handle their case. The trustee must make sure to verify your identity, so remember to bring two original forms of identification, one of which contains your full social security number. Then the trustee, whose job it is to verify the information you provided to the court when filing bankruptcy in Montana, will put you under oath to ask you questions about your case. At that point, they will have reviewed your official bankruptcy forms as well as the information you submitted to them in preparation for your 341 meeting. Most of these meetings are over in less than 10 minutes with the trustee asking only the standard questions everyone filing Chapter 7 in Montana has to answer, but if there is information in the documents you submitted to the trustee after your case was filed that they need more details on, they may ask you more specific questions as well. Your creditors are invited to attend the meeting and either just observe or use the opportunity to ask you their questions while you are under oath and on the record. That's why it's called the creditors' meeting! Of course, the vast majority of 341 meetings take place without any creditors' making an appearance for any reason.

Do you need a car in Montana?

Dealing with Your Car. There is a lot to be said about life in Montana but that you don't need a car or other vehicle while living there is not one of those things. Naturally, you worry about how your car will be handled if you file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Montana.

Can I file for bankruptcy in Montana?

Not everyone that has to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Montana, can afford to pay the court filing fee. If your income is less than 150% of the federal poverty guidelines and you submit this application for a waiver to the court along with the rest of your bankruptcy forms, you may be able to file your case for free.

How to file for bankruptcy?

Most people find it worthwhile to get counsel. A bankruptcy attorney will help you: 1 qualify for the chapter of your choice 2 determine when it's time to file 3 help you keep the property you want 4 make sure you don't run afoul of fraud or other issues, and 5 explain when you can stop paying the bills you'll erase in your case.

How long do you have to do credit counseling before filing for bankruptcy?

Scroll down until you get to your district. And don't give up—it's a long list. (Individuals must complete credit counseling during the 180 days before filing for bankruptcy and a debt management course after filing the bankruptcy case.)

Who will review the exemptions in bankruptcy?

Exempt your property carefully. The bankruptcy trustee —the court-appointed official assigned to manage your case—will review the exemptions. A trustee who disagrees with your exemptions will likely try to resolve the issue informally. If unsuccessful, the trustee will file an objection with the bankruptcy court, and the judge will decide whether you can keep the property.

How long does it take for creditors to stop bothering you?

Your creditors will stop bothering you soon after you file. It takes a few days because the court mails your creditors notice of the "automatic stay" order that prevents most creditors from continuing to ask you to pay them. Here's what will happen next:

Can you lose your car if you file Chapter 13?

So you could lose your home or car if you're behind when you file. Chapter 13 bankruptcy. By contrast, Chapter 13 filers must pay creditors some or all of what they owe using a three- to five-year repayment plan. But the payment plan allows Chapter 13 to offer benefits not available in Chapter 7.

Can you keep your house from foreclosure?

For instance, not only do you keep all of your property, but you can save your home from foreclosure or your car from repossession. If you need time to repay a debt you can't discharge in bankruptcy, you can use this chapter to force a creditor into a payment plan.

Can student loans go away in bankruptcy?

Nondischargeable debts, like domestic support arrearages and recent tax debt, won't go away in bankruptcy, and student loans aren't easy to wipe out (you'd have to win a separate lawsuit). You'll want to be sure that bankruptcy will discharge (get rid of) enough bills to make it worth your while.

Where To Start

Before you file, there are three kinds of information you'll need to get from the court's website:

Courthouses of the Montana District Bankruptcy Court

Review the list of courthouses below and confirm that the one you'd like to use serves Cascade County.

How much equity can you have in a home in Montana?

Montana allows you to exempt up to $250,000 of the equity you have in a residential property. This doubles to $500,000 for married couples filing for bankruptcy together. If the property is a farm, you can also exempt up to 320 acres of farmland.

What is exempt property in bankruptcy?

Bankruptcy Code does allow for states to enact rules to help residents shield their property from creditors. This protected property is known as “exempt property" because it is exempt from the rules requiring you to turn over most ...

What is secured debt?

When you owe money to a person or organization that has the right to repossess something you own for nonpayment, you have secured debt. This debt is often created when you enter into a loan contract and put up some of your property as collateral. The most common types of secured debts in personal bankruptcies are home mortgages and car loans.

Can a creditor seize your property if you don't pay?

You have unsecured debt when you owe money to a creditor, but the creditor has no right to seize your property for failing to pay. This creditor can be anyone to whom you owe money, from a major bank that issued you a credit card to a neighbor who sued you over a dog bite. No matter how you incurred the debt, you now owe an organization or individual money, but they cannot seize your property to force you to pay.

Can you keep your home under Chapter 13?

Filing under Chapter 13 usually lets you keep more of your secured property than you can keep under Chapter 7. That is because your Chapter 13 repayment plan usually restructures your debt so that you pay back your secured creditors over three to five years. The court-approved plan can also reduce the amounts you owe your secured creditors. If you have a mortgage and you would like to keep your home, you will probably need to keep making payments outside of bankruptcy.

Does Montana have a wildcard exemption?

Montana does not provide for a wildcard exemption.