Bankruptcy Petition - Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13 FILING WORKBOOK — CALIFORNIA

This workbook is an intake and routing aid. It is not a petition, a Chapter 13 plan, or a substitute for required national and district forms. California has four bankruptcy districts, each with its own mandatory Chapter 13 plan.

1. Select the Correct District and Division

Determine venue and the correct divisional office from current federal law and the selected court's county or venue instructions.

☐ Central District of California

☐ Northern District of California

☐ Eastern District of California

☐ Southern District of California

2. Mandatory District Plan Route

Do not use Official Form 113 or a statewide narrative plan. Download the current plan from the selected court immediately before filing.

☐ Confirm that no later general order, local-rule amendment, form revision, judge-specific instruction, or trustee procedure supersedes the route above.

3. Pre-Filing Review

☐ Confirm each proposed debtor is an individual with regular income satisfying the current requirements of 11 U.S.C. § 109(e).

☐ Confirm the debt limits in effect on the filing date. For cases filed on or after April 1, 2025, the adjusted § 109(e) limits are $526,700 in noncontingent, liquidated unsecured debt and $1,580,125 in noncontingent, liquidated secured debt.

☐ Confirm each individual completed approved pre-petition credit counseling within the period required by 11 U.S.C. § 109(h), or document the specific statutory exception or temporary-certification route.

☐ Review all prior bankruptcy cases and obtain advice about dismissal bars and any limitation on the automatic stay.

☐ Confirm venue, division, joint-filing eligibility, filing fee, installment procedure, filing method, and signature method using current district instructions.

☐ Collect complete creditor addresses, income records, asset records, secured-loan documents, leases, domestic-support information, tax records, and payment advices.

4. National Filing Package

Use the current edition of every Official Bankruptcy Form and add every form required by the selected district.

☐ Official Form 101 — Voluntary Petition for Individuals Filing for Bankruptcy.

☐ Official Forms 106 Summary, 106A/B through 106J-2, and 106Dec.

☐ Official Form 107 — Statement of Financial Affairs.

☐ Official Form 121 — Statement About Your Social Security Numbers, submitted through the selected court's nonpublic procedure.

☐ Official Forms 122C-1 and, when required, 122C-2.

☐ Official Form 2030 — Disclosure of Compensation of Attorney for Debtor, when represented.

☐ Master mailing list / creditor matrix and district verification form.

☐ Credit-counseling certificate and any debt-repayment plan required by 11 U.S.C. §§ 109(h) and 521(b), or the correct certification or exception request.

☐ Payment advices or other evidence of employer payments received during the 60 days before filing, as required by 11 U.S.C. § 521(a)(1)(B)(iv) and Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1007, unless the court orders otherwise.

☐ Selected district's mandatory Chapter 13 plan and every required attachment or addendum.

☐ Filing fee or current installment application, if applicable.

☐ Official Form 119 if a bankruptcy petition preparer is involved.

☐ Calendar the post-filing financial-management certificate, discharge certifications, and all case-specific deadlines.

Fed. R. Bankr. P. 3015(b) requires the Chapter 13 plan with the petition or within 14 days after filing, unless the court extends the time for cause on the notice it orders.

5. Plan Terms Worksheet

Funding

Under 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(1), payments generally begin no later than 30 days after the plan is filed or the order for relief is entered, whichever is earlier, unless the court orders otherwise.

Claim Treatment

Confirmation Review

☐ Future income is submitted as necessary to trustee supervision and control. See 11 U.S.C. § 1322(a)(1).

☐ Priority claims receive the treatment required by 11 U.S.C. § 1322(a)(2), unless a holder agrees to a lawful alternative.

☐ Each secured claim receives treatment permitted by 11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(5).

☐ Unsecured creditors receive at least the Chapter 7 liquidation value required by 11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(4).

☐ The petition and plan are proposed in good faith. See 11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(3) and (7).

☐ The debtor can make all payments and comply with the plan. See 11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(6).

☐ Post-petition domestic support obligations and required tax returns satisfy 11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(8) and (9).

☐ If the trustee or an allowed unsecured creditor objects, the plan satisfies 11 U.S.C. § 1325(b).

☐ The vesting provision is stated deliberately; otherwise 11 U.S.C. § 1327(b) supplies the default rule.

6. District Controls

Central District

☐ Use F 3015-1.01.CHAPTER13.PLAN and all applicable attachments. Attachment A is part of the plan; Attachments B-D are separate forms for specified valuation and lien-avoidance relief.

☐ File the plan and the notice showing both the § 341 meeting and confirmation hearing. Under current LBR 3015-1, serve the plan and notice at least 14 days before the first date set for the § 341 meeting and file proof of service at least seven days before that date.

☐ Review current rules for evidence of income, business reports, mortgage treatment, domestic-support information, plan payments, taxes, attorney fees, sale or refinancing, and discharge.

Northern District

☐ Use the mandatory plan effective January 1, 2023, version 4, and the correct addendum for each applicable claim class.

☐ Review First Amended General Order 34 for post-petition direct-payment reporting and every other current plan requirement.

☐ Prepare the plan electronically and convert it to PDF; the court's filing guidance says not to scan the Chapter 13 plan.

Eastern District

☐ Use Form EDC 3-080 and do not alter its preprinted text except as the form permits.

☐ Serve the trustee with the plan and, when applicable, EDC 3-088 (Domestic Support Obligation Checklist), EDC 3-086 (Class 1 Checklist), and EDC 3-087 (Authorization to Release Information) so they are received no later than 14 days after filing.

☐ Do not assume plan confirmation itself values collateral or avoids a lien; use the separate procedure required by the current plan and local rules.

Southern District

☐ Use mandatory CSD 1300 and the current CSD 1300a preparation guidelines.

☐ Use the current amendment, modification, notice, objection, hearing, valuation, adequate-protection, and confirmation-order procedures in LBR 3015-1 through 3015-11.

☐ Check the current court-forms page for revised supporting forms. The court lists CSD 1170, Notice of Modified Chapter 13 Plan Prior to Confirmation, as revised March 24, 2026.

7. Automatic Stay and Privacy

A voluntary case begins when an eligible debtor files the petition. See 11 U.S.C. § 301. Section 362(a) supplies the general automatic stay, but § 362 contains exceptions and limitations.

☐ Record the date and time the court opened the case and issued the case number.

☐ Confirm the stay's scope before telling a creditor, employer, landlord, or another court that an action must stop.

☐ Review prior cases, eviction matters, domestic-support matters, and criminal proceedings for stay exceptions or limitations.

☐ Apply Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9037 to every public filing. Do not include full Social Security numbers, full account numbers, a minor's full name, or a complete birth date in a public document.

8. Prohibited Boilerplate and Final Review

Do not add representations and warranties, indemnification, force majeure, integration, assignment, private liability caps, forum selection, arbitration waivers, jury waivers, notarial acknowledgments, or invented default-and-cure periods. A petition and plan are governed by the Bankruptcy Code, Bankruptcy Rules, the selected district's rules and forms, trustee procedures, and case-specific court orders.

☐ The caption names the correct district and division.

☐ The district's current mandatory plan—not Official Form 113—is used.

☐ All plan attachments, addenda, notices, signatures, service certificates, and trustee documents are complete.

☐ Current debt limits, median-income figures, filing fee, trustee information, attorney-fee treatment, payment method, and district procedures are verified immediately before filing.

☐ No statewide California rule is substituted for district-specific bankruptcy procedure.

Sources and References

• U.S. Government Publishing Office, 11 U.S.C. § 109, § 301, § 362, § 521, § 1321, § 1322, § 1325, § 1326, and § 1327.
• Judicial Conference of the United States, 2025 adjustment notice, effective April 1, 2025.
• U.S. Government Publishing Office, Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1007, 3015, and 9037.
• U.S. Courts, Official Form 101 and current bankruptcy-forms catalog.
• Central District of California, current Local Bankruptcy Rules, mandatory Chapter 13 plan, and Chapter 13 petition package.
• Northern District of California, mandatory plan announcement, First Amended General Order 34, and BLR 3015-1.
• Eastern District of California, Local Rules effective February 1, 2026, forms catalog, and Chapter 13 filing package.
• Southern District of California, Local Rules and Administrative Procedures effective December 1, 2025, mandatory CSD 1300, and current forms catalog.