{
  "version": 1,
  "reviewed": "2026-10-04",
  "notices": {
    "ledger": "Based on your records; the trustee's ledger is the official record.",
    "legal": "Not legal advice. ReStep is not a law firm.",
    "outsideLink": "Opens an outside website."
  },
  "stages": [
    {
      "id": "filed",
      "title": "Case filed",
      "summary": "Plan payments usually start within 30 days of filing, even before the plan is confirmed.",
      "todo": [
        "Write down the date your first plan payment is due.",
        "Find out how your trustee accepts payments.",
        "Keep a copy of each payment receipt."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "preConfirmation",
      "title": "Before confirmation",
      "summary": "The trustee holds a meeting of creditors 21 to 50 days after filing. The court then decides whether to confirm the plan.",
      "todo": [
        "Keep paying on schedule while you wait.",
        "Note the date of the meeting of creditors.",
        "Ask your attorney about anything in the plan you don't understand."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "repaying",
      "title": "In a repayment plan",
      "summary": "Your plan is in place. Most of the work now is steady payments and keeping your records.",
      "todo": [
        "Record each payment in ReStep.",
        "Check your records against the trustee's records from time to time.",
        "Before taking on new credit, check with your trustee's office or attorney."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "finalYear",
      "title": "Final year",
      "summary": "Twelve or fewer payments are left. This is a good time to look at what's needed before discharge.",
      "todo": [
        "Complete the financial management course if you haven't yet.",
        "Ask your trustee's office for the amount needed to finish the plan.",
        "Review the discharge checklist."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "completed",
      "title": "Plan amount recorded",
      "summary": "Your records add up to the plan amount you entered. Only your trustee can confirm your plan is complete. A discharge is generally granted after the plan payments and other requirements are complete.",
      "todo": [
        "Keep copies of what the trustee and the court send you.",
        "Make sure your financial management course certificate was filed."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "missedPayment": {
    "title": "Missed a payment",
    "intro": "Missed payments can happen. A few calm steps can help you understand where things stand.",
    "steps": [
      {
        "title": "Compare your records",
        "text": "Check what you recorded here against the trustee's records. Your trustee's online account or office can tell you what they have received."
      },
      {
        "title": "Contact your attorney or the trustee's office",
        "text": "Reach out soon. Ask how a missed amount can be handled in your case and what applies to you."
      },
      {
        "title": "Ask what to send and how",
        "text": "If you can pay some or all of the missed amount, ask where and how to send it so it is credited to your case."
      },
      {
        "title": "Mention any change in your situation",
        "text": "If your income or expenses have changed, tell your attorney or the trustee's office. Plans can sometimes be changed after confirmation."
      }
    ],
    "options": [
      {
        "id": "modification",
        "title": "Plan modification",
        "text": "After confirmation and before payments are complete, a plan may be modified at the request of the person in the plan, the trustee, or an unsecured creditor. A modified plan still cannot run more than five years.",
        "sources": [
          {
            "title": "11 U.S.C. § 1329",
            "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1329"
          },
          {
            "title": "U.S. Courts — Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Basics",
            "url": "https://www.uscourts.gov/court-programs/bankruptcy/bankruptcy-basics/chapter-13-bankruptcy-basics"
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "id": "hardship",
        "title": "Hardship discharge",
        "text": "U.S. Courts describes a limited discharge that may be available only when the failure to finish payments is due to circumstances beyond the person's control and through no fault of the person, creditors have received at least what they would in a Chapter 7 case, and modifying the plan is not possible. It covers fewer debts than a regular discharge.",
        "sources": [
          {
            "title": "11 U.S.C. § 1328(b)",
            "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1328"
          },
          {
            "title": "U.S. Courts — Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Basics",
            "url": "https://www.uscourts.gov/court-programs/bankruptcy/bankruptcy-basics/chapter-13-bankruptcy-basics"
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "id": "conversion",
        "title": "Conversion to Chapter 7",
        "text": "A Chapter 13 case may be converted to Chapter 7 at the request of the person in the plan.",
        "sources": [
          {
            "title": "11 U.S.C. § 1307(a)",
            "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1307"
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "id": "dismissal",
        "title": "What can happen if payments stay behind",
        "text": "After notice and a hearing, the court may dismiss the case or convert it to Chapter 7. This starts with a request to the court, called a motion.",
        "sources": [
          {
            "title": "11 U.S.C. § 1307(c)",
            "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1307"
          },
          {
            "title": "U.S. Courts — Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Basics",
            "url": "https://www.uscourts.gov/court-programs/bankruptcy/bankruptcy-basics/chapter-13-bankruptcy-basics"
          }
        ],
        "uncertain": "Who usually files the motion, and the deadlines to respond, differ by district."
      }
    ],
    "closing": "Your attorney or your trustee's office can tell you what applies to your case."
  },
  "dischargeChecklist": [
    {
      "id": "fm-course",
      "text": "Complete a financial management course",
      "detail": "The course must be taken after filing, from a provider approved by the U.S. Trustee Program (in Alabama and North Carolina, by the Bankruptcy Administrator). The court may call it debtor education. In Chapter 13, proof of completion is generally due no later than the date of your last plan payment.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "11 U.S.C. § 1328(g)",
          "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1328"
        },
        {
          "title": "Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 1007(c)(4)",
          "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frbp/rule_1007"
        },
        {
          "title": "U.S. Trustee Program — Approved providers",
          "url": "https://www.justice.gov/ust/list-approved-providers-personal-financial-management-instructional-courses-debtor-education"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "certificate",
      "text": "Make sure the course certificate is filed",
      "detail": "Ask your attorney or the course provider whether the certificate has been filed with the court.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 1007(c)(4)",
          "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frbp/rule_1007"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "final-amount",
      "text": "Confirm the amount needed to finish",
      "detail": "Your records here may differ from the trustee's. Ask the trustee's office for the amount needed to complete the plan before your last payment."
    },
    {
      "id": "support-certification",
      "text": "If you pay domestic support, certify it is current",
      "detail": "If you are required to pay domestic support obligations, such as child support, the law asks you to certify they are paid before a discharge.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "11 U.S.C. § 1328(a)",
          "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1328"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "keep-papers",
      "text": "Keep copies of what the court sends you",
      "detail": "Keep the papers you receive from the court and the trustee near the end of your case, including any discharge order, in a safe place."
    }
  ],
  "milestones": [
    {
      "id": "first",
      "atCount": 1,
      "title": "First payment recorded",
      "text": "The first step is often the hardest. One down."
    },
    {
      "id": "quarter",
      "atProgress": 0.25,
      "title": "A quarter of the way",
      "text": "A quarter of your plan payments are recorded."
    },
    {
      "id": "half",
      "atProgress": 0.5,
      "title": "Halfway",
      "text": "Half of your plan payments are recorded. The road behind you is now as long as the road ahead."
    },
    {
      "id": "three-quarters",
      "atProgress": 0.75,
      "title": "Three quarters",
      "text": "Three quarters of your plan payments are recorded."
    },
    {
      "id": "final-12",
      "remaining": 12,
      "title": "Final year",
      "text": "Twelve payments left. The discharge checklist may be worth a look now."
    },
    {
      "id": "complete",
      "remaining": 0,
      "title": "Plan amount recorded",
      "text": "Your records add up to the plan amount you entered. Only your trustee can confirm your plan is complete."
    }
  ],
  "notificationCopy": {
    "dueSoon": "You have a reminder coming up in three days.",
    "dueToday": "You have a reminder for today."
  },
  "credit": {
    "intro": "These dates are for your information. ReStep does not change or remove anything on a credit report.",
    "typicalNote": "Several bankruptcy courts note that credit reporting companies generally remove Chapter 13 cases after seven years from filing. This is industry practice, not a law, and some courts describe it for completed cases.",
    "legalMaxNote": "The Fair Credit Reporting Act generally allows bankruptcy cases to be reported for up to 10 years. Some reports, such as for certain large credit or insurance applications or higher-paying jobs, are not subject to that limit.",
    "sources": [
      {
        "title": "15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)(1)",
        "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681c"
      },
      {
        "title": "CFPB — How long does information stay on my credit report?",
        "url": "https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-long-does-information-stay-on-my-credit-report-en-323/"
      },
      {
        "title": "U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Hawaii — Credit reports and court records",
        "url": "https://www.hib.uscourts.gov/credit-reports-and-court-records"
      },
      {
        "title": "U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California — Credit report and court records",
        "url": "https://www.cacb.uscourts.gov/credit-report-and-court-records"
      }
    ]
  },
  "rebuild": {
    "intro": "Information about credit after bankruptcy. No one can legally promise to remove accurate information from a credit report.",
    "topics": [
      {
        "title": "Check your credit reports for free",
        "text": "The three nationwide credit bureaus let you check your report from each one every week for free at AnnualCreditReport.com.",
        "sources": [
          {
            "title": "FTC — Free credit reports",
            "url": "https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/free-credit-reports"
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "Dispute errors",
        "text": "If something on a report is wrong, you can dispute it with both the credit reporting company and the company that supplied the information. They generally must investigate and respond within 30 days.",
        "sources": [
          {
            "title": "CFPB — How do I dispute an error on my credit report?",
            "url": "https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-do-i-dispute-an-error-on-my-credit-report-en-314/"
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "Warning signs of credit repair scams",
        "text": "The FTC lists warning signs: a company that wants payment before it helps you, tells you not to contact the credit bureaus, or offers to dispute information you know is accurate. No one can legally remove accurate, current information from a credit report.",
        "sources": [
          {
            "title": "FTC — Fixing your credit FAQs",
            "url": "https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/fixing-your-credit-faqs"
          },
          {
            "title": "15 U.S.C. § 1679b",
            "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1679b"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "partnerDisclosure": "ReStep may earn a commission if you apply through links on this screen."
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "U.S. Courts — Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Basics",
      "url": "https://www.uscourts.gov/court-programs/bankruptcy/bankruptcy-basics/chapter-13-bankruptcy-basics"
    }
  ],
  "duringPlan": [
    {
      "id": "new-credit",
      "title": "Before taking on new credit",
      "text": "U.S. Courts explains that new debt should not be taken on without consulting the trustee, because it may affect the ability to finish the plan. This includes things like a car loan or a new credit card.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "U.S. Courts — Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Basics",
          "url": "https://www.uscourts.gov/court-programs/bankruptcy/bankruptcy-basics/chapter-13-bankruptcy-basics"
        },
        {
          "title": "11 U.S.C. § 1305",
          "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1305"
        }
      ],
      "uncertain": "Whether court approval is also needed depends on local rules. We have not reviewed each district's rules."
    },
    {
      "id": "income-change",
      "title": "If your income or expenses change",
      "text": "After confirmation and before payments are complete, a plan can be modified to raise or lower payments or to lengthen or shorten the time to pay. The person in the plan, the trustee, or an unsecured creditor can ask for this. A plan still cannot run more than five years. If your payment amount changes, update it in Settings under Payment amounts so ReStep's numbers match your plan.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "11 U.S.C. § 1329",
          "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1329"
        },
        {
          "title": "U.S. Courts — Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Basics",
          "url": "https://www.uscourts.gov/court-programs/bankruptcy/bankruptcy-basics/chapter-13-bankruptcy-basics"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "after-filing-property",
      "title": "Money and property you get after filing",
      "text": "In Chapter 13, property you acquire and earnings from work after the case starts are generally part of the bankruptcy estate until the case is closed, dismissed, or converted. You usually keep possession of your property unless the plan or confirmation order says otherwise.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "11 U.S.C. § 1306",
          "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1306"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "taxes",
      "title": "Tax returns during the case",
      "text": "Tax returns for the four years before filing are due before the first meeting of creditors. During the case, the court, the U.S. trustee, or another party can ask for copies of new tax returns and, in Chapter 13, a yearly statement of income and expenses. U.S. Courts notes that a case may be dismissed or converted if required tax filings are not made.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "11 U.S.C. § 1308",
          "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1308"
        },
        {
          "title": "11 U.S.C. § 521",
          "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/521"
        },
        {
          "title": "U.S. Courts — Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Basics",
          "url": "https://www.uscourts.gov/court-programs/bankruptcy/bankruptcy-basics/chapter-13-bankruptcy-basics"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "support",
      "title": "Keep support payments current",
      "text": "U.S. Courts notes that the court may dismiss or convert a case if domestic support obligations, such as child support, that come due after filing are not paid. Before a discharge, you certify that required support is paid.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "U.S. Courts — Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Basics",
          "url": "https://www.uscourts.gov/court-programs/bankruptcy/bankruptcy-basics/chapter-13-bankruptcy-basics"
        },
        {
          "title": "11 U.S.C. § 1328",
          "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1328"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mortgage",
      "title": "Mortgage payment changes",
      "text": "If your plan deals with a mortgage on your home, the mortgage holder must file a notice at least 21 days before a payment change takes effect, such as an escrow or interest-rate change. Fees added after filing must be listed in a notice within 180 days. When plan payments are finished, the trustee files an end-of-case notice and the mortgage holder must respond.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 3002.1",
          "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frbp/rule_3002.1"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "payment-posting",
      "title": "When a payment shows up with the trustee",
      "text": "ReStep counts a payment on the date you enter. The date the trustee credits it can be different. ReStep doesn't know how long that takes for your trustee. Ask your trustee's office how long payments take to post and how to check what they have received."
    },
    {
      "id": "extra-payments",
      "title": "Paying more than the plan payment",
      "text": "ReStep records any amount above each month's plan payment as extra. It subtracts extra from what's left in your plan, but it doesn't use extra to cover later months, so those payments still show as due. How the trustee applies extra money depends on your plan and your trustee. Ask your trustee's office before sending extra, and ask how it was applied."
    },
    {
      "id": "trustee-fee",
      "title": "The trustee's fee",
      "text": "Federal law lets the Chapter 13 trustee collect a percentage fee from the payments received under plans. The fee can't be more than 10 percent of those payments. ReStep doesn't separate the fee from your payments. Your trustee's office can tell you the rate in your case.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "28 U.S.C. § 586(e)",
          "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/28/586"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "outside-plan",
      "title": "Payments made outside the plan",
      "text": "ReStep tracks only the plan payments you record. If you also pay some bills yourself, such as a mortgage or car loan, don't record them here unless they're part of your plan payment. Whether a bill is paid through the plan or directly depends on your plan. Ask your attorney or trustee's office which payments go through the plan."
    },
    {
      "id": "keep-records",
      "title": "Keep your own records",
      "text": "Save receipts, pay stubs that show wage-order deductions, and letters from the trustee and the court. ReStep keeps a record of what you paid, but the trustee's ledger is the official record."
    }
  ],
  "resources": [
    {
      "id": "vcis",
      "title": "Case information by phone",
      "text": "The Voice Case Information System (VCIS) gives basic bankruptcy case information by phone, 24 hours a day, at no charge.",
      "phone": "866-222-8029",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "U.S. Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Texas — VCIS",
          "url": "https://www.txnb.uscourts.gov/voice-case-information-system-vcis"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pacer",
      "title": "Court records online (PACER)",
      "text": "PACER shows court filings for a fee of $0.10 per page, up to $3 per document. If you spend $30 or less in a quarter, the fees are waived.",
      "url": "https://pacer.uscourts.gov/pacer-pricing-how-fees-work",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "PACER — Pricing: how fees work",
          "url": "https://pacer.uscourts.gov/pacer-pricing-how-fees-work"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "debn",
      "title": "Court notices by email",
      "text": "Many bankruptcy courts let people in a case get court notices and orders by email instead of paper through the Debtor Electronic Bankruptcy Noticing program (DeBN). It is free and voluntary. Your court's clerk's office can tell you if it is available.",
      "url": "https://bankruptcynotices.uscourts.gov/for-debtors",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "Bankruptcy Noticing — For debtors",
          "url": "https://bankruptcynotices.uscourts.gov/for-debtors"
        },
        {
          "title": "U.S. Courts — Bankruptcy Noticing",
          "url": "https://www.uscourts.gov/services-forms/bankruptcy/bankruptcy-noticing"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "legal-aid",
      "title": "Free legal help",
      "text": "Court staff and judges are not allowed to give legal advice. Legal aid organizations funded by the Legal Services Corporation may be able to help; you can search by city or address.",
      "url": "https://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/what-legal-aid/i-need-legal-help",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "U.S. Courts — Filing without an attorney",
          "url": "https://www.uscourts.gov/court-programs/bankruptcy/filing-without-attorney"
        },
        {
          "title": "Legal Services Corporation — I need legal help",
          "url": "https://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/what-legal-aid/i-need-legal-help"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unclaimed",
      "title": "Unclaimed funds",
      "text": "Money owed to someone in a bankruptcy case that was never claimed, for example because of an old address or an uncashed check, is held by the court. It can be claimed by a person who proves a right to it. You can search by name.",
      "url": "https://ucf.uscourts.gov/",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "U.S. Courts — Unclaimed funds in bankruptcy",
          "url": "https://www.uscourts.gov/court-programs/bankruptcy/unclaimed-funds-bankruptcy"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "report-fraud",
      "title": "Report bankruptcy fraud",
      "text": "The U.S. Trustee Program accepts reports of suspected bankruptcy fraud or abuse, including by email at USTP.Bankruptcy.Fraud@usdoj.gov. Reports can be anonymous.",
      "url": "https://www.justice.gov/ust/report-suspected-bankruptcy-fraud",
      "sources": [
        {
          "title": "U.S. Trustee Program — Report suspected bankruptcy fraud",
          "url": "https://www.justice.gov/ust/report-suspected-bankruptcy-fraud"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}