File for Bankruptcy Online

It is possible to file for bankruptcy online, but it isn't particularly convenient.  For that matter, there isn't a single part of bankruptcy that is convenient, but if you're going to have to do it, you might as well do it as quickly and painlessly as possible.  And to be totally honest, doing it painlessly does not include doing it online.  Here are some tips:

How to File for Bankruptcy Online

You can download all of the bankruptcy forms required to file for bankruptcy online, but there are a lot of forms.  Usually, this is a pretty daunting task, as it wasn't a task that was made to be done by individuals who are not bankruptcy lawyers.  As such, it's going to be a somewhat complex form that you want to very carefully fill out.  They tend to be long - like 30 pages - and kind of ridiculous, so you might want to have a bankruptcy attorneys phone number ready while you're doing it, so you can call them and ask for advice.  There are lawyer services that basically allow you to fill out the forms, send it through the service which then proofreads it to make sure you did everything correctly, and then sends it back to you corrected. 

Honestly, the easier way to do this is to just have a bankruptcy attorney do it for you.  Their job is to save you as much money possible, and the money they save you, ultimately, will outweigh what you spend on hiring them in the first place, unless you're totally broke and don't have any other options.

Actually filing the paperwork online is not possible unless you're an attorney.  This is something you'll just have to accept.  You can't just file for bankruptcy from home, you have to go to the court at some point, and you'll have to go through a fairly rigorous process to make sure you're not cheating you creditors out of money.  It won't be fun.  You'll just have to go with it.  Once again, we suggest having an attorney for this process, because if you do it yourself, you're likely to lose assets, money, and possibly your case, which is something you very much don't want to do.  The simple act of filing for bankruptcy destroys your credit score, so if your petition is rejected, you've gotten all of the bad effects of bankruptcy without any of the benefits.  Again:  get an attorney. The attorney actually can file paperwork through a service online for a fee, but usually, if you've hired an attorney, they'll have someone who can file for you anyway.

Basics on Bankruptcy

If you're filing for bankruptcy, you have a few options.  You can file chapter 7 or chapter 13.  Chapter 7 bankruptcy means that all of your non-exempt assets will be liquidated and sold off to your creditors.  You'll lose a lot, likely, but you'll come out without any debt (except for alimony, child support, and student debt), and it will be over quick.  Chapter 13 bankruptcy means all of your debt will be reorganized and then you'll have to spend the next few years on a new payment program to get as much money as possible to your creditors before discharging your debt.  More of your debts can be discharged under chapter 13.  Under absolutely no circumstances, outside you being a financial genius or law school drop out, should you even consider filing for chapter 13 bankruptcy without first attaining an attorney.

Bankruptcy is not a quick-and-easy, do-it-online thing.  It is a slow painful process.  There are a few of the procedures you can do online, but you can't do it all online.  It takes a little while longer than that.  Generally, you can save money by hiring an attorney, though it's possible to get through chapter 7 bankruptcy safely and without losing anything without paying for an attorney.  You need to be very scrupulous, very thorough, and take your time with filling out the forms, however.  And without necessarily enlisting an attorney, you should, at the very least, use one as a consultant to make sure your forms were filled out correctly.  If you do a few things right, you can file for bankruptcy online to some extent from the comfort of your own home.  Also, keep your eyes peeled for future developments which will allow you to do more of the process online.  It will probably be a technology we have sooner rather than later.