Before you can file your bankruptcy
petition, you must take a credit counseling class within
180 days prior to the date of the filing of your petition.
The class is either in-person, online, or telephonic. The
services are provided by non-profit agencies approved the
Office of the United States Trustee. Each state and
district has a number of agencies from which to choose and
the Trustee’s website provides a list of the approved
agencies. The class generally costs $35.00 - $40.00 per
person and a married couple must each take the class
separately. Upon completion, a certificate of counseling
will be issed to you and you must file this document with
the clerk at the same time you file your bankruptcy
petition. Caution—failure to complete and/or file the
certificate will result in a dismissal of your case. If the
case is dismissed, you will lose the $299.00 filing fee and
will have to refile the case and pay the fee again.