While a bankruptcy will stay on your credit report for seven or 10 years, it doesn't mean your credit score can't get better over time, but it will be difficult to qualify for new loans for a while. By the time you file for bankruptcy, your credit has likely been significantly damaged by credit card debt and late payments. Once your finances are in order, assess your credit score with a free credit report at annualcreditreport.com, check for any errors and look at ways you can improve your score. Paying all future bills on time will help. Try to keep the total debt on your credit cards low, because a low credit-utilization ratio will boost your score.