Filing bankruptcy while unemployed renders you eligible for Chapter 7 bankruptcy relief in most instances. While there are now income and means limits on eligibility to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases, an unemployed person will have no problem fitting within those limits, since he or she has no income with which to pay even a portion of his or her debts. Therefore, a Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing would be useless for an unemployed debtor, since it requires that the debtor enter into a repayment plan that can stretch over three to five years. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing will enable the unemployed debtor to discharge all eligible debts, and make a fresh start on his or her financial future.