Reporting Extra Income After / Before Filling Date

[bankruptbrad]

I'm aware that this question has & continues to be answered - but I hope you all will indulge. Finally meeting the lawyer & going through the means test, he asks my spouse if any money is coming in & the answer is yes. Since my spouse does contract work & obviously hasn't made much lately, but when it does it can, as this time is the case, come in buckets we weren't expecting to report any other income & we would pass the means test without any hitch.

But now the lawyer is a bit freaked, though he'll confer to determine if the money will be fine, since it will appear this month & he's not counting this month for income. But he's suggesting that maybe we will take the money and blow it on non-luxury items just before he files.

So - understanding that each state is unique - does this sound like a reasonable plan or will the money likely need to be included as income? Or should the lawyer not worry about the extra income & file before we receive it. Then of course would this impact the 341 meeting when (or if) the trustee asks if anything has changed regarding future income (in case my spouse may get more work following this big payment we'll be getting)?

Thanks a bunch!

[music12]

the lawyer may be "freaked" about the large amount of money that would be sitting in the bank account at the time of filing (if he files after you get it).

[bankruptbrad]

Thanks for taking the time to respond music12.

[backtoschool]

The money is income if it occurs in the six month look back period. Any money not spent on necessities that is still sitting in your bank account will need to be exempted as an asset as well.