Did YOU start saving after you filed?

[SimpleSimon]

We started saving the minute we filed. We had kept the mortgage current so that it could be included for Means, but stopped paying as soon as we filed. We had $8K in savings at discharge. We are saving for a new place.

I'm a little confused so please bear with me. I received a $5,300 year-end bonus after we filed and was under the impression that I may have to give it up. We have paid some bills out of the bonus but we do have about half left. The lawyer hasn't asked for any bank statments so my wife doesn't think we will have togive it up but I'm not so sure. Thoughts???

[ItsJustMe]

Was it a bonus that you were anticipating when you filed? I'm thinking that would be treated like a tax refund. The trustee might be able to take it if you couldn't or didn't exempt it. I don't know how those types of things are listed on pacer because neither applied to us (we weren't expecting a refund or bonus). Ours was just regular income. We were told (by our lawyer) that after the 341 we were basically 'free' w/the exception of large sums of money like the lottery. We never heard from anyone after the 341, except the letter of discharge.

[DeadManCrawling]

Simon,

I, and I think many people, were talking about saving money we earned after filing.

The bonus you speak of is, technically, earned prior to filing, and is thus considered differently. In essence, it is an asset that you earned prior to filing, so might be subject to seizure.

In our cases, the money we saved was earned after the filing date.

It seems a razor thin distinction, and perhaps is, but that is how the law differentiates the two scenarios.