If you follow and complete the duties assigned to you during your bankruptcy, and your trustee, creditors, and the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy (OSB) don’t object to your discharge, you may be out of the bankruptcy process as soon as nine months, if this is your first bankruptcy.
Getting discharged from bankruptcy essentially means that you’re no longer bankrupt. You will no longer be responsible for the debts that were included in the bankruptcy, and you’re free to start rebuilding your credit. If you don’t complete your duties, and therefore are not discharged, your trustee will eventually be discharged from your file. If you remain undischarged, creditors will be free to contact you again and collect any outstanding debts.
For first-time bankruptcy, you can get out in nine months if you don’t have any earnings above the income guidelines that are set by the government, known as surplus income, and your other duties are complete. It would take 21 months to be discharged if you do have surplus income payments to make. The process can be longer if you declare bankruptcy for a second time: 24 months if you don’t have any surplus income and 36 months if you do. If you fulfill all of the duties that you must follow, your discharge can happen automatically at the timeframes outlined.