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Pre-filing Bankruptcy Counseling
People who are filing for bankruptcy are required to receive Pre-Filing Credit Counseling from an approved agency before they can file. This session is completed before the Bankruptcy Pre-discharge Education course.
Pre-filing bankruptcy counseling takes about 90 minutes. Your counselor will ask for information about your income, household expenses and debt, so a full budget analysis can be made. Alternatives to bankruptcy, advantages and disadvantages of bankruptcy, and the bankruptcy process will be explained. We also explain any options that may help your financial situation.
To register for in-person counseling, please contact us to obtain our intake forms that you will need to fill out and return to us before your appointment is setup with a counselor.
You may fill them out on-line. Our financial counselor will review our disclosures and privacy statements before we get personal information from you or giving you financial counseling services.
The online course takes about 90 minutes to complete. You must use a laptop or desktop computer to complete the course online. The session can be restarted if you are interrupted. You may also go back to the course for a period of one year to review the course material.
The course material is the same material that a counselor uses when doing in-person or telephone counseling. Fees of $50 per person or $100 per couple are paid using a valid credit or debit card to purchase the course online. Please call our office at 800-366-8161 to find out how to access the course if your fee is to be waived.
To register for telephone counseling, please contact us to obtain our intake forms that you will need to fill out and return to us before your appointment is set up with a counselor. You may fill them out on-line.
Our financial counselor will email our disclosures and privacy statements before we get personal information from you or giving you financial counseling services.
After you have filed for bankruptcy, you will receive a bankruptcy case number from your attorney and you must complete an approved financial course which is the second course to finish your bankruptcy.
Frequently Asked Questions
We offer bankruptcy counseling guidance to help you understand all your options, including the advantages, disadvantages and alternatives to filing for bankruptcy such as a debt management program.
$0 - $50 per person; no one is denied service for inability to pay.
Fees are waived for those with income below 150% of Federal Poverty Guidelines. Please call 1-800-366-8161 or 920-886-1000 about eligibility.
- You will need a valid email address, your Social Security number, a credit/debit card for payment and a daytime phone number to register for the course.
- Before taking the online course, you should gather copies of your last month’s pay stubs, mortgage payments, utility bills and your checkbook. You will be asked to enter information about expenses throughout the course.
- After you complete the course a certified counselor will review your material. The review will include the interactive worksheets and the amount of time you spent on the material. When the counselor’s review is completed, you will be contacted to see if you have any questions. Prior to receiving your Certificate of Completion, you will need to verify your driver’s license number and Social Security number. Your Certificate of Completion will be emailed or mailed to you.
All information is confidential an only disclosed with written authorization or as required by law. Information may be shared with the United States Trustee for oversight, but not with credit reporting agencies.
Interpreters are available at no cost for non-English speakers and the hearing impaired.
The agency receives grant support from various funders for counseling services.
When counseling is completed, it is our obligation to provide you promptly with a Certificate of Completion within one business day that you will need should you decide to file for bankruptcy. The certificate is valid for 180 days from the date the counseling is completed. After that date the certificate expires.
The consumer credit counselor conducting or supervising this session has been trained and certified in accordance with the NACCC standards, and while he/she has expertise in helping those with financial problems, he/she cannot provide you with legal advice. In fact, this session is designed to provide you with information and alternative; it is not intended to take the place of a consultation with an attorney to explore your legal rights and options.
We will discuss any potential impacts on credit reports of all alternatives that we discuss with you. You may provide additional information that pre-bankruptcy counseling services do not produce a negative impact on a consumer’s credit score. If the client enrolls in a DMP, a notation may appear on their report that the consumer is making payments through a third party and that the account is closed. That notation is noted at the discretion of the lender and a consumer’s score is not negatively affected simply by enrolling in a DMP. Filing for Bankruptcy does negatively impact a consumer’s credit report. The bankruptcy notation will remain on the report for a period of up to 10 years.
Sessions are conducted by NACCC-certified counselors. Counselors do not provide legal advice; this session is informational and not a substitute for legal consultation.
All alternatives and their effects on credit reports will be discussed. Bankruptcy may remain on your credit report for up to 10 years. Credit counseling does not negatively affect your score. Debt Management Program (DMP) enrollment may result in a notation, but does not lower your score. DMP referrals are provided if chosen.
Goodwill NCW does not pay or receive referral fees.
A certificate is issued within one business day after counseling, using the form approved by the United States Trustee.
We discuss all options, including negotiating payment arrangements with creditors.
The United States Trustee has reviewed only the agency's debtor education and credit counseling services.
Certificates are valid for 180 days from counseling completion. Completion is required to receive a certificate.