Help with Bankruptcy Forms: Declaration Concerning Debtor's Schedules

One of the most important bankruptcy forms you will complete while filing for bankruptcy is the Declaration Concerning Debtor's Schedules. This document is a one sheet form, with only one place for you to fill out, the signature line. However, do not avoid reading through the information provided before you actually sign this form. What you may not realize is that this bankruptcy form could make the difference in terms of whether or not your bankruptcy petition goes through.

What This Form Means

You may know that several of the bankruptcy forms are called schedules. This term refers to each of the documents filled out that outlines your debts and assets, as well as your intentions for the bankruptcy process. On this form, the Declaration Concerning Debtor's Schedules, you will be attesting, under penalty of perjury, that each of the schedules completed is accurate and thorough. By signing on the line of this document, you are attesting that these schedules are:

Accurate
Truthful
Complete, to the best of your abilities.

If you cannot state that this is true, do not sign the documents. You could face punishment in a court of law to the extent of perjury if you sign these documents and there are errors on them.

What Happens With Errors

In some situations, you simply may not realize the documents contain errors. In these situations, the bankruptcy trustee may simply send the documents back for correction. This is the rare case, though. If the bankruptcy trustee finds errors in your documents, the court could treat the situation as an abuse of the bankruptcy system.

Part of the bankruptcy trustee's job is to pinpoint such abuses. If there is one found, the court is likely to reject the bankruptcy case. In some situations, especially when there is evidence you were trying to conceal assets, the court may fine you or you could face fraud charges. Any mistakes on these documents can be seen as an attempt by you to deceive the bankruptcy trustee or bankruptcy system. It is grounds for dismissal of the case.

Hire An Attorney

The Declaration Concerning Debtors Schedules is one of the bankruptcy forms that can be hard to fill out, simply because of the legal pressure on you to do so. This is one of the reasons you need a bankruptcy attorney. The attorney, with his or her experience, can help you to complete these forms accurately and honestly, to ensure there is no reason for the dismissal of the documents.

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