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Since the passage of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCA), the law now requires that all persons filing Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy must complete two credit counseling courses administered by approved counseling agencies. These courses may be completed online or over the phone and generally take about an hour of your time. The cost for each course ranges upward of $50 depending on the provider. One course, the "pre-filing credit counseling" course (your ticket in) must be completed before your bankruptcy case is filed. The second course (your ticket out), called the "Financial Management Education" course, must be completed after your case is filed in order for you to receive a discharge of liability on your debts after the bankruptcy case is closed.

Although you can take the credit counseling course through any court-approved provider, LLS recommends: DebtorWise Foundation. Be sure to reference our exclusive Access Code 14312TE for proper delivery of your certificate of completion to our office. For a complete list of all court-approved providers for Indiana, click here.

For anyone filing bankruptcy, the United States Trustee and Department of Justice mandate the following disclosures:
Bankruptcy Information Sheet (English)
Bankruptcy Information Sheet (Spanish/Espanol)
11 U.S.C. 527(a) Disclosure
11 U.S.C. 527(b) Disclosure

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