Required Documents

When you are thinking of filing for bankruptcy you should also begin to put together the following documents as they may be required by your attorney prior to filing your case. Documents that may be required include:

Basic Identification:

    1. Drivers License or Government Identification

Social Security card

Employment Documentation:

  1. Paystubs for the previous six months or proof of income for any type of employment the debtor may have had.

Financial Documents:

  1. Tax returns (personal and business) for the previous three years.
  2. Bank statements (personal and business) for the previous six months. If a bank statement has your name on it then bring those statements as well.
  3. Copies of latest statements for 401k, Retirement Accounts, Annuities, Stock Accounts, Investment Accounts
  4. Copies of all life insurance policies

Vehicle Documents:

  1. Copies of the last statement showing the payoff amount.
  2. Copies of titles for vehicles, boats, motorcycles, or any type of transportation that you own
  3. Proof of insurance for any vehicle that you own/drive.

Legal Documents:

  1. Copies of any lawsuit that you are involved in as a defendant (credit card, foreclosure, wage garnishment
  2. Copies of any lawsuit whereby you are suing someone (personal injury
  3. Marital settlement agreements

While this non-exhaustive list may look cumbersome, the more documents that you provide your bankruptcy attorney the smoother your case will go. Please remember that you will not need to bring all of these documents to your initial client interview, but your bankruptcy lawyer will likely want all of these documents before he or she will file your case. Shmucher Law, PL, a bankruptcy law firm, represents debtors, creditors, and trustees in bankruptcy matters throughout Broward and Miami-Dade counties.