Every debtor filing for bankruptcy relief must complete credit counseling with an approved credit counseling agency prior to filing bankruptcy. Each debtor that completes this credit counseling will receive a certificate which then must be filed with the Bankruptcy Court at the time of filing of the bankruptcy schedules.
In addition, every debtor must also complete a financial management course and file the certificate with the Court after filing but before discharge in order to be eligible to receive a discharge.
Failure to complete the course and file the certificates will result in the case being closed without a discharge of debt. Generally, your attorney will file the certificates with the Court. However, some credit counseling agencies will file the certificates with the court immediately after completion.
Exceptions to Credit Counseling
There are some exceptions to the requirement to complete the credit counseling course. You should seek attorney advice before assuming you do not need to do the credit counseling. Most debtors do not meet the exceptions.
Links to some agencies that provide Counseling (please note neither Angell Legal nor Attorney Michelle Angell specifically endorse any of these agencies)