Financial Management Course
All individual Debtors in a Chapter 7 case are required to take a Financial Management Course and file a Certificate of Completion of Instructional Course Concerning Financial Management (Form 23) with the Court no later than 45 days after the date first set for the Section 341 Meeting. You will be charged a fee to complete this required Financial Management Course! Failure to file this Certificate may result in the case being closed without entry of the Discharge Order. The Clerk’s Office maintains a list of approved Financial Management Agencies in the Court’s public area and website. The Financial Management Course may be taken in person, by telephone or via the Internet.
In a Chapter 13 case, the Debtor must file the Certificate with the Court prior to the last payment being made to the Chapter 13 Trustee. Failure to file the Certificate may result in the case being closed without a discharge.
The Debtor may file a Motion for Exemption from Financial Management Course if she/he meets one of the following criteria:- debtor is unable to complete the course due to incapacity or disability;
- debtor is on active military duty in an active combat zone;
- US Trustee has determined that adequate Financial Management services are unavailable in the district.
Failure to complete a course in Financial Management within 45 days after filing of the bankruptcy, or failure to file a Motion for Exemption from Financial Management Course may result in the closing of the debtor’s bankruptcy case without entry of a Discharge Order. In order to obtain a discharge after the case is closed, the debtor must file a Motion to Reopen the bankruptcy case and pay the appropriate filing fee. A copy of the Certificate of Completion of Instructional Course Concerning Financial Management (Form 23) must be attached to the Motion.