What Are Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Exemptions?

Answer 1

Although most debtors keep all their property after filing a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, debtors must file exemptions when applying for this type of bankruptcy just like they do when they file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Filing exemptions in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy is for the benefit of creditors rather than the debtor himself. The exemptions inform the creditor of how much she is entitled to and allows her to compare the settlement of the case with the settlement the creditor would receive if the debtor filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy instead.

Best Interest of Creditors Test

U.S. bankruptcy law requires Chapter 13 bankruptcy applications to pass the "best interest of creditors test." Creditors involved in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy must receive at least as much from the bankruptcy as they would if the debtor filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy instead. The bankruptcy trustee performs this test by deducting the debtor's exemptions from the full value of the estate to determine how much the estate would be worth if the debtor filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Creditors may receive more from Chapter 13 than they would from Chapter 7, but they may not receive less from Chapter 13.

Determining Payment Amount

Chapter 13 exemptions, or more specifically, the best interest of creditors test, are also used to determine how much the debtor must pay over the lifetime of the plan. To make this determination, the bankruptcy trustee compares three numbers. The best interest of creditors test, or the non-exempt value of the estate minus administrative costs, is one of these three numbers. The total amount of priority claims, such as alimony, child support and back taxes owed, is another number the bankruptcy trustee looks at, as is the debtor's disposable income, or income after payroll taxes each pay period. The bankruptcy trustee takes the biggest of these numbers and divides it by the life of the plan to determine how much the debtor must pay each month.

Considerations

Chapter 13 bankruptcy may be attractive to some debtors because debtors are at low risk of losing their property through this arrangement and there are no income limitations on this type of bankruptcy. However, debtors cant file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy if they have such large exemptions that the bankruptcy will fail the best interest of creditors test. In addition, Chapter 13 bankruptcy negatively affects the debtor's credit for seven years and requires debtors to pay the bankruptcy trustee on a monthly basis.