Before you can file a chapter 7 or a 13,
you have to complete a course in credit counseling and
personal financial management. The credit counseling needs
to be completed within six months prior to filing the case.
After you complete the credit counseling you will have to
complete a personal financial management course before your
case is closed. In a chapter 7 you have to finish it within
45 days of your 341 meeting. For a chapter 13 case you get
a bit more time. I personally feel these courses are a
waste of time as I see clients just rushing through them
online just to get their cases filed. The courses do not
really get deep enough to teach anything of substance in my
opinion, but it’s part of the new rule and is a
requirement. The upside is that the courses can be
completed online and are pretty painless. Below is a court
link to the approved credit counseling agencies in your
state where you can complete both courses.
Court Approved Credit Counseling
Agencies