Once you have completed payments under your plan, the Trustee’s office will begin to close your case. We will submit paperwork to the Court, usually within about thirty (30) days of the final payment so that the discharge may be issued. The discharge is issued by the Office of the Clerk of Bankruptcy Court. We will not issue a Final Report and Account until all checks have cleared the bank. Therefore, the Final Report and Account may come substantially later than your discharge. Your Order for Discharge is extremely important. You should put your copy in a very safe place. While the Order for Discharge will be available later from the Bankruptcy Court if you lose your copy, they will charge you a substantial fee and they may be a delay in getting that paper to you. Remember, some creditors may require proof that you completed your Chapter 13 plan successfully in order for you to obtain credit.
The Order of Discharge protects you against certain creditors and prohibits them from taking any unauthorized action against you after your case has been completed. If you have failed to pay a secured claim during your plan, however, then the lien on the collateral or property securing the debt may still exist despite the discharge. Also, some of your debts may not be discharged by the completion of your Chapter 13 plan. You should discuss these with your attorney and make plans to pay these debts that are not discharged. If you paid these non-dischargeable debts in full through your plan, then your discharge order will protect you against further action with respect to those creditors as well.
