"Low Income Bankruptcies" Discussion

Upsolve Community Member
Hi Bobby! Here is an article from the Upsolve Learning Center that should help answer your question! https://upsolve.org/learn/how-to-file-chapter-13-bankruptcy/ I hope this helps! :-)

Upsolve Community Member
This might help, too! https://upsolve.org/learn/can-you-file-chapter-13-bankruptcy-online-yourself/ 

Upsolve Community Member
Generally speaking, Chapter 13 cases are much more complicated than Chapter 7 cases and have an extremely high rate of failure when filed without the assistance of an attorney. Regardless, you always have the right to represent yourself in any court proceeding, which is called representing yourself “pro se.”

Upsolve Community Member
The success rate of Chapter 13 cases filed without a lawyer is really really low. May I ask why you're considering https://upsolve.org/learn/chapter-7-versus-chapter-13-bankruptcy/? 

Upsolve Community Member
Bobby, if you're low income consider contacting your local legal aid office to see if they can help or if they can give you a referral for help. (Not all legal aid offices handle bankruptcies.) If you're not familiar with legal aid, the article https://upsolve.org/learn/nonprofit-legal-aid-explained/ is an excellent explainer. 

Upsolve Community Member
Colleen, so glad you're here. You might find some of the resources in our Learning Center helpful when you're tight on cash, like this one. https://upsolve.org/learn/7-steps-to-improve-your-credit/

Upsolve Community Member
What else has helped folks here when they've been in a tough spot? 

Upsolve Community Member
Get on SNAP assistance, it’s never a bad thing to be on! I’m on it until my situation gets better and it took me a while to accept that that’s what I needed to do to help myself!

Upsolve Community Member
some of the Upsolve articles also have ideas for improving finances, like what to do about your credit score 

Upsolve Community Member
Let us know how we can help, thanks so much for being a part of this community and sharing! 

Upsolve Community Member
Christmas is right around the corner, so be sure to contact your local nonprofit agencies, religious centers, community/neighborhood centers and ask if there's help for the holidays for low-income individuals. Help with food means more cash for you. Long-term thinking, make sure you've applied for all the benefits available to you to help with housing and utilities (that will leave you with more cash). The government has a https://www.benefits.gov/benefit-finder you could try and the website is worth looking into. Upsolve has an article https://upsolve.org/learn/stop-spending-money-tips/ and some of the tips are geared for people in your situation. I'm not sure if there's any creative gifts you can make and sell or services you can offer, but if you think of anything, there will be people rushing around at the last minute that will need help! 

Upsolve Community Member
Diane, so glad you asked! 

Upsolve Community Member
You're welcome to share our website with anyone you like- we're happy it was helpful to you! 

Upsolve Community Member
Diane, Thanks for the gesture of sharing Upsolve. There are no social media or other sharing mechanisms in the software or on the website but do what I do: cut and paste "upsolve.org" and most major platforms (email, social media etc.)will make it clickable for the person receiving your message! :-) 

Upsolve Community Member
Diane, you could also reach out to local community groups. Aside from sharing the website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or TedTalk links, you could also send a letter or email or social media post to local community and legal aid groups that help low-income individuals with debt. Even a phone call might help. Or, jump in on Reddit discussions if you're into Reddit. Even by reaching out to just one person, you could make a big difference in someone's life.  I'm just rambling out ideas. I know your time is valuable. Reaching out to others is so thoughtful and generous of you! It is deeply appreciated. Thank you!

Upsolve Community Member
Hi Eric! Hopefully, this article on https://upsolve.org/learn/how-to-file-chapter-13-bankruptcy/ will answer your questions! Good luck ahead! :-) 

Upsolve Community Member
Mark, I’ve already filed. Do you have any ideas about my questions? 

Upsolve Community Member
Upsolve is a free service for low-income families wishing to file Chapter 7 without an attorney. I can't answer your questions but I can point you to info: https://upsolve.org/learn/what-happens-when-a-chapter-13-case-is-dismissed/ 

Upsolve Community Member
Did your Chapter 13 payment agreement https://upsolve.org/learn/chapter-13-cramdown/ the value of your car? Depending on circumstances and the lender, a loan has the potential to revert to a pre-filing state. (Were you at risk of repossession before filing?) Regarding your credit report, the article https://upsolve.org/learn/discharge-vs-dismissal/ discusses bankruptcy dismissals and credit reporting. 

Upsolve Community Member
One thing that catches many by surprise is that your car loan payment is likely "late" because the Chapter 13 trustee pays according to their schedule, not the monthly due dates on the creditor's statement.

Upsolve Community Member
https://upsolve.org/learn/chapter-7-versus-chapter-13-bankruptcy/ this could help you! 

Upsolve Community Member
Chapter 13 is where you make a payment plan

Upsolve Community Member
Thanks so much for asking! It's an important decision- this might help! https://upsolve.org/learn/what-is-a-chapter-13-bankruptcy/

Upsolve Community Member
If you're low-income and don't have a lot of assets my personal vote goes for Chapter 7! Get that debt wiped out fast! Here's an article on the pros and cons of Chapter 7: https://upsolve.org/learn/pros-cons-filing-chapter-7-bankruptcy/