How much does it cost to file a Minneapolis or Saint Paul Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy Summary
Bankruptcy can be intimidating and scary to consider but we will explain how it works, your options and make sure you are comfortable throughout the process. When you file for Bankruptcy, you are preparing a list of all of your assets and all of your debts along with your income and expenses to prepare a budget. You then turn over all of your assets and debts to the Bankruptcy trustee when you file. The Trustee then has control of your Bankruptcy estate. The Trustee's job is to review all of your assets to see what they can use to pay part of your debts.
What we do for you
Our job as your Bankruptcy Lawyer is to help you through the entire process. We gather all required information from you and other sources such as credit reports, state and county records, financial institutions and prepare the bankrutpcy petition. In doing this we use the Bankruptcy Code to protect as many assets as we can, otherwise known as exemptions. Exemptions allow you to keep up to a certain value of assets in each category such as household furniture and appliances, one vehicle, retirement accounts, jewelry, etc. Usually we are able to protect all of your assets as long as we know about them. We will explain and discuss any assets that may be a concern with you and assist you throughout the process.
Why it Costs to file Bankruptcy
We have costs involved in doing our bankrutpcy due diligence and preparing the MN Bankrutpcy Petition such as pulling credit reports. There is also a lot more time involved in getting Real estate documents, valuation of multiple vehicles, boats, ATVs, or other assets. If you are married we need to obtain your spouse's income, expenses, and asset information. Even though you may be the only one filing, we need their inforamtion to ensure that their assets are not involved which also protects their half of joint assets. If you are filing jointly, then we ensure that we use the most exemptions from each of you accordingly to protect as many assets between you as possible. If any asset or your income and expense budget exceeds the allowable amount we will have additional time involved in documenting, negotiating, and processing your bankruptcy petition.
Minnesota Bankruptcy Pricing
Our Henneping County bankruptcy filing and Ramsey County bankruptcy petition filing start at $600 and go up to $1500 plus the court filing fees for almost all bankrutpcy debtors we represent. The $600 filing fee is typically a debtor with hardly any assets that usually rents and either has a W2 job under the income threshold or is unemployed. Different variables can affect your pricing but most of our clients pay between $1000-1,500.00 for our legal fees plus the court filing costs.
How do you pay for a Bankruptcy attorney when you are filing bankruptcy?
Many people ask how do I pay for a bankruptcy when I am filing bankruptcy and can't afford it. Unfortunately when we file your Twin Cities bankruptcy petition, any money owed to us is discharged along with all of your other dischargeable debts. This is why we require all payments to be paid before we can file and we cannot accept credit card payments. Most of our clients obtain the money to pay the fees from family, friends, or they pull it out of assets they have especially if they are already close to the limits of what we can protect. This is also why you should consider bankruptcy well before you run out of any money.
What about zero down bankruptcy
Some attorneys will offer a zero down payment plan but that requires that you find someone else with good credit who will agree to obligate themselves to your bankrutpcy attorney's fees and payment on that debt because you will legally not owe the money after you have filed and obtained a discharge. Often times the costs, interest, and hassle of your friend or family signing documents to obligate themselves to this debt is excessive. We suggest if you have a family or friend willing to sign up for that debt, it would be cheaper and easier to just ask them if they can help you directly and cut out the middleman expense.
What payment plans or options for paying for a bankruptcy filing do you offer?
We offer payment plans allowing our clients to pay over a period of weeks or even months as we obtain information and prepare their bankruptcy petition for filing. This allows you to get us fully paid before filing and for each of us to complete our part in preparing the bankruptcy petition such as the online required bankruptcy course that each debtor must complete. That way when you are fully paid we are ready to file.
Some client will use tax return money from income tax, or renter's rebate or property tax refunds as those payments are typically not able to be protected anyway. We will always discuss your situation, your assets, finances, and your options to successfully file a Minnesota or Wisconsin Bankruptcy petition.
