Our question of the week comes from a user who asks:
I have been unemployed for nearly a year now and will be running out of unemployment benefits in about 3 months which will leave me with no income at all and I am single. The prospects of finding a job in my line of work anytime soon is looking pretty grim so I am seriously considering launching another business of my own but that will take at least a year. I make about $960 a month on unemployment and have no residual savings other than my 401k and own no real property. My personal property is limited to my 13 year old car, my clothes and some minor furnishings which really aren’t worth anything. My dischargeable debts amount to about $35,000 and are comprised of strictly credit cards and medical expenses. I have never filed bankruptcy before and have spent the last 10 years rebuilding my credit after paying off debts from a business I was forced to close, so it’s heartbreaking for me to have to seriously consider bankruptcy now.
Here’s what I would like to know.
1. With little income which is on the verge of disappearing can I file directly for a Chapter 7 or do I need to file Chapter 13 first and complete the means test?
Answer:
The “means test” must be completed if you are over the median income in your State, given your household size, in order to determine what you are eligible for.
The so-called “means test form” must be completed in any bankruptcy case.
You can file Chapter 13 first, but from the above facts it sounds like you would qualify for a Chapter 7 case, but you need to have a comprehensive consult with a bankruptcy attorney in your area to make that determination.
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