NOLO Chapter 13 Bankruptcy: Keep Your Property & Repay Debts Over Time

Stop creditors. Get more time to pay

Chapter 13 bankruptcy offers unique debt solutions not available in Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Yes, you’ll pay into a repayment plan. But your money will go toward the debts that matter most—like your mortgage, car loan, support obligations, and taxes. Remaining debts, such as credit card balances, medical bills, and utility bills, usually get only a fraction of what you owe.

Some of Chapter 13 bankruptcy’s other features include allowing filers to:

• keep all property
• avoid foreclosure and vehicle repossession
• pay the fair market value for a car, and
• stop lawsuits, wage garnishments, and bank levies.

This revised edition covers all the latest changes in bankruptcy and is eco-friendly—we’ve moved many tables and forms online!

With Downloadable Worksheets and Sample Forms

Get more than 40 additional resources, including samples of completed bankruptcy forms, fillable financial worksheets, current income and exemption charts, motions, and more (details inside).

Cara O'Neill is a bankruptcy and litigation attorney in Northern California and a legal editor and writer with Nolo. Before joining Nolo, she practiced in the areas of criminal and civil litigation, and bankruptcy. She also served as an administrative law judge and taught law courses as an adjunct professor. She received her law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School, graduating Order of the Barristers―an honor society recognizing excellence in courtroom advocacy. Cara has edited, authored, and coauthored several Nolo books, including How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, The New Bankruptcy, Everybody’s Guide to Small Claims Court, and Credit Repair.