About the Process for Filing a Bankruptcy Case for Individuals page 6
When you file your bankruptcy case
There are several forms and documents that you
must give the court at the time you file.
Additional forms and documents must be filed no
later than 14 days after you file your bankruptcy
case, although they may be filed at the same time
you file your case.
You must file the forms listed below on the date
you open your bankruptcy case. For copies of the
forms listed here, go to
https://www.uscourts.gov/forms/bankruptcy-forms.
(The list continues on the next page.):
Voluntary Petition for Individuals Filing for
Bankruptcy (Official Form 101). This form
opens the case. Directions for filling it out are
included in the form itself.
Statement About Your Social Security
Numbers (Official Form 121). This form gives
the court your full Social Security number or
federal Individual Taxpayer Identification
number. To protect your privacy, the court
will make only the last four digits of your
number known to the general public.
However, the court will make your full
number available to your creditors, the U.S.
trustee or bankruptcy administrator, and the
trustee assigned to your case. This form has no
separate instructions.
Your filing fee. If you cannot pay the entire
filing fee, you must also include:
Application for Individuals to Pay the
Filing Fee in Installments (Official Form
103A), or
Application to Have the Chapter 7 Filing
Fee Waived (Official Form 103B). Use
this form only if you are filing under
chapter 7 and you meet the criteria to have
the chapter 7 filing fee waived.
A list of names and addresses of all of your
creditors, formatted as a mailing list according
to instructions from the bankruptcy court in
which you file. (Your court may call this a
creditor matrix or mailing matrix.)
Your credit counseling certificate from an
approved credit counseling agency. (See
Before you file your bankruptcy case, above).
If you have received the briefing about credit
counseling but have not yet received the
certificate, file it no later than 14 days after
you file for bankruptcy. If you have not
already received the briefing and believe you
are entitled to a temporary waiver from
receiving it or that you are not required to
receive the briefing, see line 15 of the
Voluntary Petition for Individuals Filing for
Bankruptcy (Official Form 101).
For Individual Chapter 11 Cases: List of
Creditors Who Have the 20 Largest
Unsecured Claims Against You and Are Not
Insiders (Official Form 104). Fill out this form
only if you file under chapter 11.
Initial Statement About an Eviction Judgment
Against You (Official Form 101A) and
Statement About Payment of an Eviction
Judgment Against You (Official Form 101B).
Use Form 101A if your landlord has an
eviction judgment against you. If you
complete Form 101A and you want to stay in
your residence for the first 30 days after you
file, you must indicate that on the form. Use
Form 101B if you have completed Form 101A
and you want to stay in your rented residence
form more than 30 days after you file for
bankruptcy.
Bankruptcy Petition Preparer’s Notice,
Declaration, and Signature (Official Form 119)
and Disclosure of Compensation of Bankruptcy
Petition Preparer (Form 2800). Use these forms
if a bankruptcy petition preparer typed your