The answer to this question varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but I would say it is wise to ask your attorney what the common practice is in the district in which you filed. In Indiana, the trustees normally lets debtors know at the Meeting of Creditors (also called the 341 hearing) whether they want the refund check, and if so, how much. Different states let you keep different amounts of cash in bankruptcy, so the state in which you live may influence how much the trustee takes. Please note that nothing in this posting or in any other posting constitutes legal advice; this is simply my understanding of the facts, which I do not warrant, and I am not suggesting any course of action or inaction to any person.
The trustee may take the refund and distribute it to creditors because a tax refund is not considered an exempted asset under bankruptcy laws.
Yes.
No, you still owe the government. Bankruptcy proceedings begin with the filing of a petition with the bankruptcy court. The filing of the petitions creates a bankruptcy estate, which generally consists of all the assets of the person filing the bankruptcy petition. A separate taxable entity is created if the bankruptcy petition is filed by an individual under chapter 7 or chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. The tax obligations of the person filing a bankruptcy petition (the debtor) vary depending on the bankruptcy chapter under which the petition was filed. Generally, when a debt owed to another is canceled the amount canceled or forgiven is considered income that is taxed to the person owing the debt. If a debt is canceled under a bankruptcy proceeding, the amount canceled is not income. However, the canceled debt reduces the amount of other tax benefits the debtor would otherwise be entitled to. This information is not intended to cover bankruptcy law in general, or to provide detailed discussions of the tax rules for the more complex corporate bankruptcy reorganizations or other highly technical transactions. For additional tax information on bankruptcy, refer to Publication 908, Bankruptcy Tax Guide. See http://www.irs.gov/publications/p908/index.html
State Income Tax Claims, Federal Tax Claims, and Real Estate Taxes must be included in a bankruptcy filing. Income tax claims that are less than three years old will usually be consolidated with other debts and paid over three to five years in a Chapter 13. Depending upon income and assets, income tax claims for returns that were filed more than three years before the bankruptcy can sometimes be reduced substantially in a Chapter 13 and eliminated completely in a Chapter 7.The discharge of the debt in a bankruptcy, can actually cause taxable income for the year it is discharged if not handled proerly. You will get a 1099-C for most matters concering it.
If you don't have much equity in assets, then it would be helpful to file either chapter 7 or 13 bankruptcy -- depending on your usual income. An excellent primer about either chapter 7 or 13 bankruptcy is "The New Bankruptcy, will it work for You?" 3rd edition by Stephen Elias, published in 2009 by Nolo; 346.078 E42N Dewey decimal. Also you might contact a paralegal or lawyer specializing in filing bankruptcy in the state of jurisdiction.
A person's income does not count after filing chapter 7 bankruptcy. All that counts is what you had before filing bankruptcy.
Direct deposit of any monies while filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy are safe. However, under Chapter 13 bankruptcy, an automatic payment may be required to the trustee from a direct deposit of wages and other sources of income.
The trustee may take the refund and distribute it to creditors because a tax refund is not considered an exempted asset under bankruptcy laws.
If you still owe federal income taxes, they will. But if they don't take it, the chapter 13 trustee gets the tax refund. You should have listed any income taxes that were dischargeable (due more that 3 years prior to the filing date).
The answer to this question depends on whether you are filing Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. In Chapter 7 bankruptcy, if the rental property has equity, meaning that the value of the property exceeds what is owed on the property, the trustee would almost definitely seize property and sell it to satisfy some or all of your unsecured debts.
Chapter 13 is more of a repayment plan than a debt wipeout. Because of that, if there is a change in your financial circumstances after filing for bankruptcy then the court needs to be aware of it.
In a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the income of the person filing will be subject to a two-part test. First, your income will be calculated with exemptions such as rent and food to determine whether you can afford to pay 25 percent of your unsecured debt such as your credit card bills. Second, your income will be compared to your state's median (middle) income. You won't be allowed to file for Chapter 7 if your income is above your state's median income and you can afford to pay 25 percent of your unsecured debt. Even if your income is below the state's median income and you can pay 25 percent of your unsecured debt, the court may still deny your Chapter 7 filing. There will be very few exceptions to this test, no matter how sympathetic your case is. If you pass the tests then the actual process of filing for bankruptcy will involve filing a two-page bankruptcy petition in which you identify your assets/property/debts etc. You will also meet with a trustee of the bankruptcy court who will go through your papers and conduct a creditors meeting. The process will take about 4-6 months.
In a chapter 7, no post petition income constitutes property of the bankruptcy estate. So to answer, no. In a chapter 13 or 11, all post petition income constitutes property of the estate.
It's your disposable income. The debtor files a statement of income and expenditures. The expenditures cannot be unreasonably high. The chapter 13 payment is the difference between the income and expenditures.
What happens if you have paid all fees for a chapter 7 bankruptcy and your trustee tells you to turn over your income tax check and you don't because you are laid off and you are using the income tax check to pay bills and medical expenses and the trustee has threaten to revoke your bankruptcy due to non payment of your income tax check
You might be able to file bankruptcy individually, but the bankruptcy trustee will scrutinize joint assets and income to determine whether they must be included in your individual filing. Therefor, there may be more reasons that the bankruptcy trustee would determine as cause to dismiss your bankruptcy claim. Note that if rejection of your bankruptcy claim is upheld by the bankruptcy court, actually your have only lost your time and expenses to file that particular bankruptcy claim. An excellent book for detailed perspective on filing chapter 7 or chapter 13 bankruptcy: "The New Bankruptcy, will it work for You?" 3rd edition (published in 2009 by Nolo), by Stephen Elias. I found this book in the Colorado Springs public library under 346.078 E42N (Dewey decimal).
There is a "means test" for filing consumer bankruptcies, and if you earn more than the median family income in your state, you have to see if your deductions from the gross income make you eligible to file a Chapter 7. Otherwise, you have to file a Chapter 13. You can find the median family income for each state at the US Trustee's website, accessible from your bankruptcy court's website. ("Links")