Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Lawyers

    The Seattle bankruptcy lawyers at Symmes Law Group assist debtors in filing for chapter 13 bankruptcy. Chapter 13 of the United States Bankruptcy code operates differently chapter 7. In a chapter 13 bankruptcy, debtors enter into a 3 to 5 year repayment plan of their debts. The monthly repayment amount is based on household disposable income, secured debts and priority debts among other things. Debtors are required to make monthly installment payments to the Western District of Washington Chapter 13 trustee. After the debtor has paid on their debts for the 3 to 5 year repayment period, all unsecured non priority debts that have not been paid off will be discharged. If any payments are missed, your case may be dismissed and you will not receive a discharge of your debt. A chapter 13 bankruptcy is intended for debtors who don’t qualify for a chapter 7 bankruptcy due to various reasons such as a debtor’s income being too high, a second mortgage being eligible to be stripped and discharged, arrearages on a home mortgage needing to be made up to stop a foreclosure, or if the debtors have filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy in the last 8 years.

    A chapter 13 bankruptcy is not for everybody as a debtor must have enough disposable income to put into a payment plan. A debtor’s disposable income is calculated by looking at the households expenses subtracted from the household income. When you retain a Seattle bankruptcy lawyer at Symmes Law Group we will calculate a repayment plan that will be confirmed by the bankruptcy court and allow for the repayment of all of your priority debts in conjunction with payments made outside the payment plan on secured debt. Once we file your case, you will be subject to what is called the automatic stay period. The automatic stay is part of federal bankruptcy law which says that creditors may not collect on debts without first getting relief from automatic stay from the bankruptcy court. This means that while you are maintaining your payments in a chapter 13 repayment plan, creditors may not garnish your wages, bank accounts or make harassing phone calls. Our fees for filing a chapter 13 are affordable and are based on the amount of debt you have, whether you are filing a single or joint petition, and your ability to pay our retainer fee. In a Chapter 13 bankruptcy we do not require our entire fee up front as our bankruptcy attorney fees may be added to your payment plan with the court. Call us today at 206-390-9451 to schedule your free initial consultation to learn more.

For answers to clients most commonly asked questions about chapter 13 bankruptcy please visit our Chapter 13 bankruptcy FAQ.