Chapter 13 Bankruptcy: Keep Your Property & Repay Debts Over Time - Softcover

O'Neill, Cara

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1413333486 ISBN 13: 9781413333480

Publisher: NOLO, 2026

Synopsis

Stop creditors. Get more time to pay.

Filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy stops creditors, lawsuits, wage garnishments, bank levies, and other collection actions, giving you time to restructure debts in a three- or five-year repayment plan. Each monthly payment goes primarily toward the debts that matter most--your mortgage, car loan, support obligations, and taxes. Credit card balances, medical accounts, and utility bills usually receive a small fraction of the balance. Chapter 13 filers can also use the plan to avoid foreclosure and vehicle repossession or pay to keep property they'd lose in Chapter 7 over time. Sometimes, they can even reduce or eliminate secured loans.

This guide explains the benefits of Chapter 13 and more, including how to find and hire the right lawyer and calculate the monthly payment. It also covers what to expect during the process, which debts get erased after completing plan payments, how to rebuild credit after the case ends, and more.

About this title

About the Author

Cara O'Neill is a legal editor and writer at Nolo specializing in bankruptcy
and small claims litigation. Cara authors several Nolo book titles,
including How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, The
New Bankruptcy, and Everybody's Guide to Small Claims Court. She
also coauthors Legal Research: How to Find and Understand the Law, The
Foreclosure Survival Guide, Solve Your Money Troubles,
and Credit Repair, and edits several more. Before joining Nolo,
Cara practiced law for over 20 years in civil and criminal litigation, bankruptcy,
and administrative law. During that time, she served as an administrative law
judge, took dozens of criminal and civil cases to jury verdict, appeared before
the California Court of Appeals, and taught undergraduate and graduate law
courses. She earned her law degree in 1994 from the University of the Pacific,
McGeorge School of Law, where she served as a law journal editor and graduated
as a member of the Order of the Barristers--an honor society recognizing
excellence in courtroom advocacy.

Edition details

• Publisher: NOLO
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1413333486
• ISBN 13: 9781413333480
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304