2 ways to use bankruptcy to close your business involves leaving your business debt behind so that it does not come back to haunt you personally.

Closing down a business can be messy. Business bankruptcy is often more complicated than a regular bankruptcy case. But in one way, a business bankruptcy may be easier than a consumer bankruptcy case.

If you’ve owned a small business that you have shut down, or that you are about to shut down, you may be afraid of filing bankruptcy because you’ve heard that “business bankruptcies” are expensive and not a good way to wrap up the affairs of a business. However, bankruptcy can be a simple and effective solution.

The Means Test

The “means test” determines whether you may file a regular Chapter 7 case to discharge your debts in a few months, or whether you must file a 3-to-5-year Chapter 13 repayment case. Unless you need some of the other benefits of Chapter 13, many people prefer Chapter 7 because it gets them a fresh start more quickly and cheaply.

In some situations, a former business owner cannot pass the means test and will be required to go through Chapter 13. For example:

• • If, after closing her business, a business owner got a good job before filing bankruptcy, the income from that job may be higher than the “median income” applicable to her state and family size. So she may not pass the “means test.”
  • If the business was operated by one spouse while the other worked an outside job and earned a high income, the other spouse’s income may bump the couple above the “median income” with the result of not passing the “means test.”

But here’s the good news for some former business owners: the “means test” only applies if your “debts are primarily consumer debts.” (See Section 707(b)(1) of the Bankruptcy Code.) So if your debts are primarily business debts—more than 50%–you essentially can skip the “means test.”

Be careful here, because “debts” means all debts, including home mortgages and personal vehicle loans. So your business debts may have to be high to be more than all your consumer debts.

To apply this law, we must be clear about the difference between these two types of debts. What’s a “consumer debt”? The definition may sound familiar: it’s a “debt incurred by an individual primarily for a personal, family, or household purpose.” (Section 101(8).)  For example, if you took out a second mortgage on your home a few years ago to fund your business, the current balance on that second mortgage may not be a consumer debt.

Sometimes the line between consumer and non-consumer debt is not clear, so this is something you need to discuss thoroughly with your attorney if you want to avoid the “means test” under this “primarily business debts” exception.

If you have questions about qualifying for bankruptcy, call to schedule a free telephone appointment with Jennifer N. Weil, Esq. to discuss your situation at (201) 676-0722 or by emailing weilattorney@gmail.com.