Obtaining Unsent or Lost Discharge Papers After Chapter 7

After you have received your discharge from Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you should receive paperwork known as “discharge papers” which officially release you from liability for your eliminated debts and prohibit the listed creditors from taking further actions against you. These papers are especially important if a listed creditor does attempt to take further debt-collection efforts against you because they prove that the debts in question were discharged and the creditor has no legal actions to take.If you have not received your discharge papers after being successfully discharged from Chapter 7, there are two options for obtaining them. First, you may contact the clerk of the court at which your proceedings took place and request copies, which generally requires you to pay a fee which may increase depending on how long ago your bankruptcy was filed (increased fees apply mainly to those who filed several years ago).The second option is to register with the electronic filing system known as “Public Access to Electronic Court Records” (PACER), which is government-run. This registration may make for a longer process and also requires a transaction fee, but this option usually proves more cost-effective than requesting discharge papers from your court clerk.If you are struggling financially and considering filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you’re not alone. Contact an experienced bankruptcy attorney today for a free consultation.