When you apply for bankruptcy, it’s important to understand that it can be rejected. This shouldn’t worry you or make you reconsider. It’s just crucial to know that it’s possible so that you take the time to do everything in your power to make sure yours is accepted.

So, what are some reasons that bankruptcy might be rejected? A few examples include:

— You don’t have the records you need.

— You tried to hide assets, or you lied about what assets you had on hand.

— You didn’t mention that you’d already filed for bankruptcy.

— You did use bankruptcy before, and it was too recently. For Chapter 7, you can’t file again if you had a discharge in the last eight years. For Chapter 13, the time falls to 6 years.

— Some of your financial records were destroyed.

— You did not go to the credit counseling that the court ordered you to attend.

— You violated a different order that the court handed down.

— In writing, when filing for bankruptcy, some of your statements were false.

In some cases, bankruptcy could be denied because of a misunderstanding. For example, perhaps you thought that you could file for Chapter 7 every six years, confusing it with Chapter 13. You’d be turned down.Perhaps you didn’t intentionally try to hide assets, but you actually forgot about some that you fully meant to disclose.

Things like this do happen. It’s very important to know exactly how the process works and what you can do to get everything sorted out so that the filing goes through as intended.

Source: The Balance, “Can Your Bankruptcy Discharge Be Denied?,” David Haynes, accessed March 14, 2017