Coming up with the $00

[indy4192]

I really need to file, but coming with the $350 to file is really tough. I get two paychecks a month, each after taxes coming to $640. 1 of those paychecks goes to my rent ($588) which leaves very little for food/gas and such. The other sees utilities and such come out leaving me about $375 left. It's sad I still make to much to get the fee wavied, but is there a way to set upa payment plan, like $150 over 2 months? I can get the $50 for the counseling course, it's just that lump $300 that is tough.

[bellee]

I really need to file, but coming with the $350 to file is really tough. I get two paychecks a month, each after taxes coming to $640. 1 of those paychecks goes to my rent ($588) which leaves very little for food/gas and such. The other sees utilities and such come out leaving me about $375 left. It's sad I still make to much to get the fee wavied, but is there a way to set upa payment plan, like $150 over 2 months? I can get the $50 for the counseling course, it's just that lump $300 that is tough.

Yes there is a form to pay in installments. It's on the bankruptcy.gov site.

[justbroke]

First, why do you think it's $350 to file? I've never seen that number used before. Can I ask where you learned about a $350 fee?

Do you have at least some guide to filing Bankruptcy like NoLo Press' How to File Chapter 7 Bankruptcy? Or some other guidebook? You can purchase it on-line (with a coupon code which makes it about $7), or, perhaps, you can borrow it from your community library.

I ask that, because in there, you could learn how to pay the filing fee in installments (while actually filing).

[AngelinaCat]

perhaps, you can borrow it from your community library.

As a Librarian, I always recommend purchasing the NOLO book directly from the publisher, because in the 'downloadable' form, it will always have the latest updates as the BK laws are 'tweaked' across the Country.

The books on the shelves at the library, either public or college, tend to be out of date by at least six months.

I was taken to task by another poster on this subject some months ago. But she lives in a more affluent part of the country than I do. I stand by my experience, some 30 years worth.

Good luck to you!

[bellee]

First, why do you think it's $350 to file? I've never seen that number used before. Can I ask where you learned about a $350 fee?

Do you have at least some guide to filing Bankruptcy like NoLo Press' How to File Chapter 7 Bankruptcy? Or some other guidebook? You can purchase it on-line (with a coupon code which makes it about $7), or, perhaps, you can borrow it from your community library.

I ask that, because in there, you could learn how to pay the filing fee in installments (while actually filing).

The OP was including the 50 dollar counseling fee. (299 for chapter 7 plus 50 dollar counseling)
Actually they should know they can try and get that fee waived too. (check online counseling sites via gov. website)

[killinstinct]

Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but sounds like prime candidate for fee waiver. Why not give it a shot with your local district?

[justbroke]

The OP was including the 50 dollar counseling fee. (299 for chapter 7 plus 50 dollar counseling)

I didn't want to make that assumption. I just wanted to know where they got $350 "to file". Filing does require the pre-counseling course, but you can get it for less than $50.

[Annie4]

I get two paychecks a month, each after taxes coming to $640. 1 of those paychecks goes to my rent ($588) which leaves very little for food/gas and such. The other sees utilities and such come out leaving me about $375 left. It's sad I still make to much to get the fee wavied

Are you sure you make too much? You have to be able to live normally after your 'resonable expenses' are taken out, right? Did you include everything like medical expenses and dental...gas....car maintence...those are things we don't think about every day but they're expenses......then there's grocery....for our food part, the 'allowance' for our family size was way more than what we actually get each trip. I was honest and told our Judge that, but then there are things we would like to have gotten but couldn't most of the time...but it wasn't life or death items.

Yours comes to 1280. a month? Then rent takes up about 1/2?

That looks almost exactly like our situation if I'm awake enough to see this correctly and we were approved to waive it. I know our 4 children and food helped that look more dramatic for us on paper, but we eat heathly and cheap, so it's not so bad, lol.

Seems like those numbers look too close to ours for you to just give up and not try. It's like the others here told me, this is our 'fresh start' and it's supposed to help us come out on the other end more relaxed and I know that chunk of money wouldn't have helped us, because it would have had to come from somewhere that something else wasn't getting. Good luck to you, you'll find alot of good advice here!

[Annie4]

I also borrowed the NOLO and Bankruptcy for Dummies books from our library.....priceless!

[indy4192]

Just me

I am single have no kids, I did the formula to see if I could get the fee waived and according to it I make to much. It showed $10,830, my salary is $23,400 before taxes, so I don't believe I qualify. Am I looking at it wrong?

My $350 total was the filing fee and the $50 course. After taxes I bring home $1280. My rent is now at $585, but hopefully will go down come Jan. Basically my rent is my sisters mortage payment as I pay it and stay in her house. She has a ARM and from all indications it will go down this coming year due to the poor economy.

My other monthly bills are Electric, Cable, Gas, Phone, Water, student loan and car insurance. Items in the bankruptcy will be 9 CC, 1 car loan, 2 cell phone companies (cancellation fees), mystery debt and a apt move out fee.

[justbroke]

I am single have no kids, I did the formula to see if I could get the fee waived and according to it I make to much. It showed $10,830, my salary is $23,400 before taxes, so I don't believe I qualify. Am I looking at it wrong?

No, you are not wrong. The baseline target to be considered at 150% of the poverty line for a single perosn with no dependents, is about $16,500 and you clrearly exceed that!

My $350 total was the filing fee and the $50 course. After taxes I bring home $1280. My rent is now at $585, but hopefully will go down come Jan.

You can actually pay the filing fee ($299) in installments. I believe that you are allowed to pay in 4 installments of $75 or so.

[Annie4]

That was our second choice, the installments, but thankfully we were approved for the waiver. Looks like you'd do fine with the installments, I wish you the best!

[enari]

Hi Indy,

My fee waiver request was approved, and my income is around $1200 a month, after taxes. I'm noticed you mentioned your income after taxes was near there, but a lot higher before taxes. I know there are reasons - and I just wanted to let you know that:

I held back from filing because of the worry about the fee initially, but, I went ahead and did the paperwork, all of the bankruptcy filing, and filed the waiver request as well. The fee waiver uses information from the bankruptcy forms - at least in my state, and so looking at the whole equation and not just the 150% (for your state median) as well.

I think there's a lot of variables and math, and it isn't just a single answer. My philospohy on this, really was to Prepare the forms, get all the information, and then decide to file, and my answer was yes.

But - I have no experience on the intricacies of any of this.

Good luck,
Vic

[indy4192]

Filing

So you when you filed, did you file the petition first and then file when it was approved, or do you file everything together and wait to see if it is approved? What did you have to file to prove your present income and debts? My problem might be that I pay "rent" each month to Bank of America. The payment is for my sisters mortage as I am living in the house and paying it. Mortage bills are in her name, but you can see from my bank statement I am paying it.