Which debts should you put in the bankruptcy and which ones should you leave out?

Answer: You are required to list all of your debts in your bankruptcy papers! It is a common notion that you are allowed to keep some debts out of your bankruptcy by not listing them – but this could not be further from the truth.

Don’t forget, you are signing your bankruptcy papers under penalty of perjury, which means that you could be criminally prosecuted if you fail to disclose information on those papers. These papers require you to list complete information, including “all” of your debts.

What if you accidentally leave out some piece of information? Then you should tell your lawyer as soon as you realize your mistake, because you may be able to amend the filed bankruptcy papers. You may be required to pay an extra fee to the Bankruptcy Court.

And don’t forget to list all debts you may owe to friends and relatives. Many people do not think about listing debts to friends and relatives, because they don’t consider them to be the same type of debt as the credit card debt they are so worried about. And it’s true – debts owed to friends and relatives are different, but that does not mean they shouldn’t be listed in your bankruptcy papers.

If you are seeking bankruptcy advice in northern or central New Jersey, call Jennifer Weil at 201-676-0722 or send an email to: weilattorney@gmail.com.

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