While it usually depends on the overall complexity of your case, there is a general range of time you can expect from either case type. Chapter 7 Bankruptcy: Four to six months. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy: Three to five years. This chapter usually takes much longer than Chapter 7 because of the nature of the case. It is a repayment plan rather than a liquidation, which means you will adhere to a repayment plan to achieve debt relief.