Discharged and then Closed?

[joenjenking]

Can someone explain this to me...

When you have your bankruptcy discharged... and then what months later the close it? Can something happen between the discharge date and the close date? what is the difference?

[southernbelle]

From what I've read, it's highly unusual for anything to "happen" between discharge and closing. Closing is supposed to be more of finalizing paperwork, but the discharge is what you're really waiting for. Once you receive the discharge, you're done.

I'm sure someone else will chime in, but that's my elementary understanding of it.

[FreshLikeADaisy]

That's my understanding too.

The only exceptions are if you have something very unusual going on with your bk: asset recovery, an unresolved adversarial action such as a creditor objection, etc. You'll still get your discharge, but the case will stay open for as long as it takes to resolve the related proceedings.

Also, many bk courts are overwhelmed right now: if you're in a place like Los Angeles, it may take over a month to have your case closed after discharge. But as Southernbelle pointed out, it's entirely administrative at that point: once you have your discharge, the time for creditors to object is over and they must forever hold their peace.

Good luck to you!!!