Article: All persons filing for Chapter 7 or 13 bankruptcy must complete a credit counseling program from an approved agency. You must complete the program within 6 months of filing for bankruptcy. You must also take a debtor education course after you file but before your debt is discharged. You can find approved credit counseling agencies at: http://www.justice.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa/ccde/CC_Files/CC_Approved_Agencies_HTML/cc_florida/cc_florida.htm All bankruptcy filers must use the appropriate federal bankruptcy forms. Depending on the circumstances of your case, you may need to file some of the following forms: Voluntary Petition for Individuals Filing for Bankruptcy. Application for Individuals to Pay the Filing Fee in Installments. Summary of Your Assets and Liabilities and Certain Statistical Information. Statement of Current Monthly Income. Chapter 7 Means Test Calculation (only if your income is above the state median income). Statement of Your Current Monthly Income and Calculation of Commitment Period. Calculation of Your Disposable Income. You can locate all bankruptcy forms at: http://www.uscourts.gov/forms/bankruptcy-forms. Federal bankruptcy courts are located throughout the United States. You must file your bankruptcy petition in the federal judicial district where you have been living for 180 days before you file or the district where you maintain your home (domiciled). You can locate your district court at: http://www.uscourts.gov/courtlinks . Once you locate your district court and its website, check whether there are any local forms that are required for your bankruptcy filing. Each state sets forth its own exemptions for bankruptcy proceedings. Exemptions are the property or assets that cannot be liquidated or counted against you in calculating your net worth. Florida does not allow its residents to use Federal bankruptcy exemptions but rather a resident must use the Florida exemptions. When preparing to file for bankruptcy, you must determine for which exemptions you qualify. These may include: A homestead exemption, which allows a debtor to exempt an unlimited amount of value in your home when determining assets. Florida exempts certain personal property for up to a $1000. You can exempt up to $1000 in motor vehicle equity. For those not using the homestead exemption, the debtor can exempt $4,000 in personal property. Certain pension and retirement funds are exempt such as 401ks and Simple IRAs. For a complete list of exemptions visit: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/florida-bankruptcy-exemptions-property-assets-bankruptcy.html.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Complete credit counseling. Locate federal bankruptcy forms. Locate the correct bankruptcy court. Determine relevant Florida exemptions.