Decided to go bankrupt.......

tireesix

But I am really scared..............

Where do I go? Who do I talk to? What happens until you are discharged?

We have about £10000 debt, we are on benefits and just can't afford our debts anymore.

It all started with child tax credits messing us around, we couldn't afford to live really and ended up getting out a loan but then everything spiralled out of control......... Grrrrrrrrrrrrr............

I should have done it last year but went to the CCS who sorted out a payment plan for us but I worked out that according to their plan we would be paying back but it would take over 10 years to do so.......... With no hope of either of us working in the near future, its just too long....... And I was told they only allow a certain amount for food etc which was ridiculous, 3 of us have food allergies, I have an eating disorder plus am a recovering alcoholic and my DH has a medical problem that means he eats his own thing......... On top of that was limited travel moneey, well both my DH and I have mobility problems although so far deecided to not be bad enough to warrant DLA so wew end up having to dip into other money in order to afford buses etc.....

Its such a ruddy mess..........

wherediditallgo

Hi, & welcome.

You can talk to the CCCS again, or you can contact Payplan or National Debtline for free impartial advice.

You can download the bankruptcy forms from here - you'll need forms 6.27 & 6.28. You should download the guidance notes for form 6.28 that are also on that page. The cost is now £335 plus £150 court fee, but the court fee is waived if you're on certain benefits, & some courts waive it whether you're on benefits or not.

You can find out about which court is the appropriate one for you here.

As for someone to talk to about it, we're here 24 hours a day.

wherediditallgo

You need to contact the court to find out their hearings procedure - some can see you on the day, but others operate an appointment system, so if you have a particular date/period in mind, then it's best to call & get your name down asap.

Once you've got your court date, complete your forms - I suggest you do a draft copy that you can write on & make errors, & then write/type it up properly once you've got everything you need. The forms are quite detailed, so what we usually do is ask people to post a Statement of Affairs (basically your income, expenditure & assets) on here so that we can tell you if you've allowed too much/little in your figures. It's important to get the details right, but if there's something you can't fill in (even with our help ) the court will understand if you explain & do it at the court itself. Take at least two copies of the completed paperwork with you to court.

Depending on which court you go to, you'll pay your fee then go to submit your papers & have your hearing - some people see a judge, but others just see a court official (some of us just hand in our papers then wait around for a stamped copy). After submitting your papers, they'll be stamped & you'll be given a copy for yourself. You may have to see one of the OR's staff later that day, but in most cases you'll be told that the OR will be contact with you either by telephone or post to arrange an interview over the phone or ask you to come to the office for a face-to-face one. That interview will be just to go over your SOA (so make sure you've kept a copy for yourself) & clarify some points with you. After that interview, you'll get a letter 2-4 weeks later advising you whether you've got an IPA or not, & if so what the procedure is.

Don't be worried about the abbreviations we use here - you can find a glossary at the top of the forum here. Also, I've given you a brief rundown of what happens, but it's not as daunting as it sounds, & we can help you with the details of each bit as you get to them.

fermi

That's great advice WDIAG

BTW, some of your links have an extra 'http://' in there, oops.:p

There is also on the IS website:

How to petition for your own bankruptcy

http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/guidanceleaflets/dealingwithdebt/howtopetition.htm

Guide to Bankruptcy

http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/guidanceleaflets/guidetobankruptcy/guidetobankruptcy.htm

What will happen to my home

http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/guidanceleaflets/home/home.htm

What will happen to my bank account

http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/guidanceleaflets/bankaccount/bankaccount.htm

Plus lots of other info at:

http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/guidanceleaflets/Guides.htm

And useful info here:

http://bankruptcysupportersclub.co.uk/default.aspx

Broken_hearted

If you are disabled you can get a free travel card for buses and free hospital taxis to get you to appointments.

tireesix

THANKYOU........

That has been a real help......... Its also nice to be somewhere where ppl don't judge lol......

Broken_hearted

Have you applied for DLA if your doctor feels you need help it may be enough to save you financialy.

tireesix

Its not that we are completely disabled........

I am hypermobile which causes me somepain but not all the time and also, chronic fatigue, I also have a !!!!!!ed ankle (had surgery a few weeks back but it looks as thought that failed...........)......

Its just aroyal pain in the backside, not disbled enough to get help but not able enough to get around like most able bodied people......

tireesix

And we are currently appealing DLA.

Broken_hearted

Are you getting help from the CAB they have a great team who should tell you whether you qualify.

tireesix

And this a completely ridiculous question.....

We quite simply have no assets other than this computer that I am on....... Its worth about 700 quid........ My DH uses it to do computing courses and I use it to socialise (sad I know but I have social phobia and this is about the ony way I manage to communicate with people with out going all peculiar)...... So I am wondering whether they will take it????? I suppose I won't know until it all goes through.