After you meet with your attorney and he has determined that you should file a Chapter 13, he will prepare the petition and schedule for your signature. They will then be filed with the court and a case number will be assigned to you. You should give this case number and your attorney’s name and phone number to any creditors who contact you.
About three weeks after the case is filed, you and your spouse, if you both filed, will have to appear with your attorney at the Chapter 13 trustee’s office to review the plan and schedule filed on your behalf. This meeting usually takes less than fifteen minutes. Next, your case will be set for the judge to approve your case. In most cases, it will not be necessary for you to attend the court hearing where the judge formally approves your plan of reorganization. Your attorney will advise you if you should come to court.
You should receive statements every six months from the trustee listing all receipts from you and payments made to your creditors. If there are any errors, you should contact the trustee and your attorney.
If you would like your employer to deduct your trustee payments automatically from your paycheck, you should advise your attorney that you wish to be placed on payroll control. He will have you sign a payroll order for your payments to be deducted from your paycheck.
