Best Pro Se bankruptcy software?

[moorman]

Is there a very good Pro Se bankruptcy software currently on the market that can help with filing a chapter 7?

[justbroke]

No. But, you may be able to use one of the document preparers such as ezBankruptcy or Upsolve, to name two. I had issues when I used the former software which produced errors on my forms and some things didn't add up.

The best thing I found was just to purchase Adobe Acrobat or at least pay the monthly fee for only Acrobat for a few months. The only thing you may have issues with on the "fillable" forms available on the US Courts Bankruptcy site is dealing with continuations for things that don't fit within the space on the form.

[moorman]

No. But, you may be able to do a one of the document preparers such as ezBankruptcy or Upsolve, to name two. I had issues when I used the former software which produced errors on my forms and some things didn't add up.

The best thing I found was just to purchase Adobe Acrobat or at least pay the monthly fee for only Acrobat for a few months. The only thing you may have issues with on the "fillable" forms available on the US Courts Bankruptcy site is likely continuations for things that don't fit within the space on the form.

Thanks. I have some quick questions which will help me decide if I want to pursue this on my own or not:

1. creditor mailing matrix. Can I use the addresses on my credit reports as the address to use on the mailing matrix?

2. creditor mailing matrix. My understanding is the court will mail out the bankruptcy notices using the mailing matrix. I read somewhere on this forum that a pro se debtor received undeliverable letters back in the mail from creditors. Why would this be so if the court is the entity that mails out the letters?

[justbroke]

1. creditor mailing matrix. Can I use the addresses on my credit reports as the address to use on the mailing matrix?

You could use that address. I'd try to have the best address available and look up the creditor's correspondence address. If you don't have that you could fall back to the address in the credit report.

2. creditor mailing matrix. My understanding is the court will mail out the bankruptcy notices using the mailing matrix. I read somewhere on this forum that a pro se debtor received undeliverable letters back in the mail from creditors. Why would this be so if the court is the entity that mails out the letters?

The Bankruptcy Noticing Center (BNC) sends out notice on behalf of the Clerks of the bankruptcy court. The BNC puts your (pro se) address as the return address on the notices. If they bounce, they come back to you! It is your responsibility to make sure all creditors are notified of the bankruptcy. **


**Note: notification is a little nuanced in a Chapter 7 where the debtor is in a no-asset case.

[moorman]

You could use that address. I'd try to have the best address available and look up the creditor's correspondence address. If you don't have that you could fall back to the address in the credit report.

The Bankruptcy Noticing Center (BNC) sends out notice on behalf of the Clerks of the bankruptcy court. The BNC puts your (pro se) address as the return address on the notices. If they bounce, they come back to you! It is your responsibility to make sure all creditors are notified of the bankruptcy. **


**Note: notification is a little nuanced in a Chapter 7 where the debtor is in a no-asset case.

Thanks. What are some "common errors" in the paperwork do they look for? Math? etc.

[justbroke]

Thanks. What are some "common errors" in the paperwork do they look for? Math? etc.

I don't know who you mean by "they." The clerks office will check to make sure you have all the forms, they are signed, any local forms are included, and the fees are paid. The Trustee will do a thorough review of the numbers and run them outside the forms, typically using a spreadsheet, to validate the information. The trustee will also compare your tax returns and paystubs to what is in the schedules and may look to public records to see what property you own.

[WS007]

I would urge everyone to avoid using ezbankruptcyforms. I purchased their "new for 2024" package after failing to file in time using their "new for 2023" package that I had purchased a year and a half earlier and they sent me an exact duplicate of what they sent me a year and a half earlier. So they sell old PDF files created in 2015 and 2022 and claim they are 'new for 2024'. I'm in $94.00 and the main file is a bug mine.

[justbroke]

I used them back in 2008. They did a horrible job and had numeric error on it. You're better off subscribing to Adobe Acrobat for a month ($19.99/month) and using the Court's Fillable Forms. You may have some issues with continuation pages, but you'll figure it out. That is what I ended up doing.