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On My Bankruptcy Forms, Should I List Debts That Appear on My Credit Report but I Don't Owe?

1 minute read Upsolve is a nonprofit that helps you get out of debt with education and free debt relief tools, like our bankruptcy filing tool. 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


In a Nutshell

You should list debts on your bankruptcy forms that are on your credit report even if you don't think you owe them.

Written by Jonathan Petts
Updated September 4, 2021


When you fill out your bankruptcy forms, you may wonder whether you're supposed to list debts that are on your credit report but that you don't think you owe.

The short answer is yes.

Here's a longer answer: It's a good idea to list all of the debts from your credit report that have a balance. Your credit report probably includes debts you have paid off — you do not need to include these.

You should include debts with a balance even if you don't think you owe them. Best-case scenario the debt will be discharged and you won't have to worry about it anymore. Worst case you'll be in the same position you're in now with that particular debt.

If you are in the process of disputing a debt that you think you don't owe, just mark it as "Disputed" on your paperwork (our free filing tool will help you with this) so that the judge is aware.



Written By:

Jonathan Petts

LinkedIn

Jonathan Petts has over 10 years of experience in bankruptcy and is co-founder and CEO of Upsolve. Attorney Petts has an LLM in Bankruptcy from St. John's University, clerked for two federal bankruptcy judges, and worked at two top New York City law firms specializing in bankrupt... read more about Jonathan Petts

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