How can you keep your tax return when you file a bankruptcy chapter 7?

Answer 1

I assume you mean "how do you keep your tax REFUND when you file a chapter 7 bankruptcy?" A tax refund is an asset of the estate and, generally, the trustee will take it. There are two ways to avoid this, first way would be to delay filing your bankruptcy petition until after you have gotten your refund and spent the money. The second way is to declare part or all of the refund to be part of your exemption, however exemptions are small and most people have other assets (like computers, wedding rings, paychecks, etc.) they want to protect with their exemptions.