The primary duty of a debtor in a Chapter 13 case is to be cooperative and truthful. You must review all bankruptcy documents carefully to make sure that they are accurate. If you don’t understand something about your case, you have the obligation to ask your attorney to explain the situation to you. Ignorance is not an excuse for not complying with the rules of the Bankruptcy Court or the terms of your confirmed plan. Communication is key.

You must notify your attorney and the Chapter 13 Trustee (via mail: P.O. Box 510920, Milwaukee, WI 53203, via fax: 414-271-9344, or via email: info@chapter13milwaukee.com) whenever you have a change in name, address, telephone number, employment or income. In addition, you must provide written notice of any change in address or name to the Clerk of Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 517 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202. You may not sell any property without permission from the Trustee or the Court.

You may not use any credit – no credit cards, no leases, no purchases on credit, no personal loans – without the approval of the Trustee or the Court. You must save copies of all documents relating to your bankruptcy. This includes receipts for all plan payments (whether by money order or cashier’s check or by payroll deduction).

Finally, you must make all of your plan payments in full and on time. You must comply with any other special terms of the order confirming your Chapter 13 plan (including providing copies of tax returns and appropriate amounts of tax refunds to the Chapter 13 Trustee).