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<title>Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Explained -- Repayment Plan and Discharge [2026]</title>
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<strong class="nav-label">Tools:</strong>
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<strong class="nav-label">Learn:</strong>
<a href="explainer.html">1328(f) Explained</a>
<a href="discharge-bar.html">Discharge Bar</a>
<a href="727a8-discharge-bar.html">727(a)(8) Bar</a>
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<a href="chapter-7.html">Ch. 7</a>
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<a href="chapter-13.html">Ch. 13</a>
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<strong class="nav-label">Statutes:</strong>
<a href="section-362-automatic-stay.html">§362</a>
<a href="section-506-secured-claims.html">§506</a>
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<a href="section-727-chapter-7-discharge.html">§727</a>
<a href="section-1325-plan-confirmation.html">§1325</a>
<a href="section-341-meeting-of-creditors.html">§341</a>
<a href="section-524-discharge-injunction.html">§524</a>
<a href="section-547-preferences.html">§547</a>
<a href="section-548-fraudulent-transfers.html">§548</a>
<a href="section-707-chapter-7-dismissal.html">§707</a>
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<span style="color:#f0f6fc;font-size:0.85rem"><strong>Cited by the federal judiciary</strong> — This tool's data was accepted by the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules as <a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/records-rules-committees/suggestions/dan-brown-26-bk-3" style="color:#58a6ff">Suggestion 26-BK-3</a> and <a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/records-rules-committees/suggestions/dan-brown-26-bk-5" style="color:#58a6ff">Suggestion 26-BK-5</a></span>
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<a href="index.html">Screener</a> / <a href="glossary.html">Glossary</a> / Chapter 13
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<h1>Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Explained: Repayment Plan and Discharge</h1>
<p class="subtitle">Chapter 13 lets you keep your property and pay back debts over 3 to 5 years. It offers broader discharge relief than Chapter 7 -- but timing rules can take that discharge away.</p>
<h2>What Chapter 13 is</h2>
<p>Chapter 13 is a reorganization bankruptcy governed by <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/chapter-13">11 U.S.C. Chapter 13</a>. Instead of liquidating assets, you propose a <a href="https://chapter13plan.org" title="Chapter 13 Repayment Plan -- Open Bankruptcy Project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repayment plan</a> that lasts 3 to 5 years. You make a single monthly payment to a bankruptcy trustee, who distributes the money to your creditors. At the end of the plan, qualifying remaining debts are discharged.</p>
<p>Chapter 13 is sometimes called a "wage earner's plan" because it requires regular income. It is designed for individuals who earn enough to make monthly payments but need relief from overwhelming debt.</p>
<h2>Who qualifies</h2>
<p>Chapter 13 is available to individuals (not corporations or partnerships) with regular income who meet the debt limits under <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/109">11 U.S.C. Section 109(e)</a>.</p>
<div class="statute-box">
<div class="label">Debt limits (adjusted periodically)</div>
<p>As of the Bankruptcy Threshold Adjustment and Technical Corrections Act of 2022, the combined debt limit for Chapter 13 is $2,750,000 for both secured and unsecured debts. Previously, there were separate limits for secured and unsecured debts. Check the current thresholds before filing, as Congress adjusts these periodically.</p>
</div>
<p>There is no <a href="https://meanstest.org" title="Bankruptcy Means Test -- Open Bankruptcy Project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">means test</a> for Chapter 13. However, your income level determines your plan length:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Below median income:</strong> plan can be as short as 3 years</li>
<li><strong>Above median income:</strong> plan must be 5 years</li>
</ul>
<h2>How the repayment plan works</h2>
<p>Your <a href="https://chapter13plan.org" title="Chapter 13 Repayment Plan -- Open Bankruptcy Project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chapter 13 plan</a> must address different types of debt in specific ways:</p>
<table>
<tr><th scope="col">Debt Type</th><th scope="col">Treatment</th></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Priority debts</strong> (taxes, support)</td><td>Must be paid in full</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Secured debts</strong> (mortgage, car loan)</td><td>Ongoing payments maintained; arrears caught up over plan length</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Unsecured debts</strong> (credit cards, medical)</td><td>Paid a percentage based on disposable income; remainder discharged</td></tr>
</table>
<p>The trustee collects your monthly payment and distributes it according to the confirmed plan. Creditors cannot contact you or collect outside the plan while it is active -- this is the <a href="glossary.html">automatic stay</a>.</p>
<h2>Key advantages of Chapter 13</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Keep your property.</strong> No liquidation. You can catch up on mortgage arrears and car payments through the plan.</li>
<li><strong>Stop foreclosure.</strong> The <a href="https://automaticstay.org" title="Automatic Stay in Bankruptcy -- Open Bankruptcy Project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">automatic stay</a> halts foreclosure, and the plan lets you cure the arrearage over time.</li>
<li><strong>Cramdown on vehicles.</strong> If you purchased a vehicle more than 910 days before filing, you can reduce the secured claim to the vehicle's current value under <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/506">Section 506(a)</a>.</li>
<li><strong>Protect co-signers.</strong> The <a href="https://codebtorstay.org" title="Co-Debtor Stay -- Open Bankruptcy Project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">co-debtor stay</a> under <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1301">Section 1301</a> can protect people who co-signed your consumer debts.</li>
<li><strong>Super discharge.</strong> Chapter 13 eliminates certain debts that Chapter 7 cannot.</li>
</ul>
<h2>The super discharge</h2>
<p>One of the most important features of Chapter 13 is its broader discharge scope. Under <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1328">Section 1328(a)</a>, Chapter 13 can discharge debts that would survive a Chapter 7 case, including:</p>
<ul>
<li>Willful and malicious injury to <strong>property</strong> (not persons)</li>
<li>Certain non-support divorce obligations (property settlements)</li>
<li>Government fines and penalties (non-criminal)</li>
<li>Post-petition HOA and condo fees</li>
</ul>
<div class="green-box">
<div class="label">Why this matters</div>
<p>For debtors who carry these specific types of debt, Chapter 13 is not just an alternative to Chapter 7 -- it is the only path to full debt relief. A debtor who chooses Chapter 13 specifically for the super discharge and then loses it has spent 3 to 5 years making payments for nothing. See <a href="what-is-a-super-discharge.html">What Is a Super Discharge?</a> for the full breakdown.</p>
</div>
<h2>The 1328(f) discharge bar</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1328">Section 1328(f)</a> bars Chapter 13 discharge if you received a prior discharge within specific time windows:</p>
<table>
<tr><th scope="col">Prior Discharge In</th><th scope="col">Wait Before Ch. 13 Discharge</th></tr>
<tr><td>Chapter 7, 11, or 12</td><td>4 years (filing date to filing date)</td></tr>
<tr><td>Chapter 13</td><td>2 years (filing date to filing date)</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="red-box">
<div class="label">The 1328(f) trap</div>
<p>Filing inside these windows does not prevent you from filing a Chapter 13 case. You can still file, receive the <a href="https://automaticstay.org" title="Automatic Stay in Bankruptcy -- Open Bankruptcy Project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">automatic stay</a>, and go through the entire plan process. But at the end -- after 3 to 5 years of payments -- the court will deny your discharge. Your attorney has a duty to check your filing history before filing. Question 9 on the bankruptcy petition exists specifically for this purpose.</p>
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<div class="cta-box">
<p>Check whether a <a href="https://dischargebar.org" title="Bankruptcy Discharge Bar -- Open Bankruptcy Project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discharge bar</a> applies to your filing dates.</p>
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<h2>Chapter 13 timeline</h2>
<table>
<tr><th scope="col">Step</th><th scope="col">Timing</th></tr>
<tr><td>Credit counseling (required)</td><td>Within 180 days before filing</td></tr>
<tr><td>File petition, schedules, plan</td><td>Day 0</td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="https://automaticstay.org" title="Automatic Stay in Bankruptcy -- Open Bankruptcy Project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Automatic stay</a> takes effect</td><td>Immediately upon filing</td></tr>
<tr><td>Begin plan payments to trustee</td><td>Within 30 days of filing</td></tr>
<tr><td>341 <a href="https://341meeting.org" title="341 Meeting of Creditors -- Open Bankruptcy Project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">meeting of creditors</a></td><td>21-50 days after filing</td></tr>
<tr><td>Confirmation hearing</td><td>20-45 days after <a href="https://341meeting.org" title="341 Meeting of Creditors -- Open Bankruptcy Project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">341 meeting</a></td></tr>
<tr><td>Plan payments (3-5 years)</td><td>Monthly during plan</td></tr>
<tr><td>Debtor education course (required)</td><td>Before discharge</td></tr>
<tr><td>Discharge entered</td><td>After all plan payments completed</td></tr>
</table>
<h2>Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 13</h2>
<table>
<tr><th scope="col"></th><th scope="col">Chapter 7</th><th scope="col">Chapter 13</th></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Duration</strong></td><td>~4 months</td><td>3-5 years</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Property</strong></td><td>Non-exempt assets sold</td><td>Keep everything</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Means test</strong></td><td>Required</td><td>Not required</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Regular income</strong></td><td>Not required</td><td>Required</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Mortgage arrears</strong></td><td>Cannot catch up</td><td>Can cure through plan</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Discharge scope</strong></td><td>Narrower</td><td>Broader (super discharge)</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Repeat filing bar</strong></td><td>8 years (727(a)(8))</td><td>4 years / 2 years (1328(f))</td></tr>
</table>
<h2>Related resources</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="explainer.html">Section 1328(f) Explainer</a> -- The <a href="https://dischargebar.org" title="Bankruptcy Discharge Bar -- Open Bankruptcy Project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discharge bar</a> in detail</li>
<li><a href="what-is-a-super-discharge.html">What Is a Super Discharge?</a> -- Debts Chapter 13 eliminates that Chapter 7 cannot</li>
<li><a href="chapter-7.html">Chapter 7 Explained</a> -- Liquidation and <a href="https://bankruptcyfreshstart.org" title="Fresh Start After Bankruptcy -- Open Bankruptcy Project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fresh start</a></li>
<li><a href="compare.html">Compare All Discharge Bars</a> -- 1328(f), 727(a)(8), 727(a)(9), 109(g)</li>
<li><a href="glossary.html">Glossary</a> -- Bankruptcy terms in plain English</li>
<li><a href="check.html">Eligibility Checker</a> -- Check your dates against statutory windows</li>
<li><a href="can-you-file-bankruptcy-twice.html">Can You File Bankruptcy Twice?</a></li>
<li><a href="can-i-keep-my-car-in-chapter-13.html">Can I Keep My Car in Chapter 13?</a></li>
<li><a href="can-i-keep-my-house-in-bankruptcy.html">Can I Keep My House in Bankruptcy?</a></li>
<li><a href="how-long-does-bankruptcy-stay-on-credit.html">How Long Does Bankruptcy Stay on Credit?</a></li>
<li><a href="what-is-a-bare-petition.html">What Is a Bare Petition?</a></li>
<li><a href="what-is-the-automatic-stay.html">What Is the Automatic Stay?</a></li>
<li><a href="how-long-does-chapter-13-take.html">How Long Does Chapter 13 Take?</a></li>
<li><a href="how-much-does-bankruptcy-cost.html">How Much Does Bankruptcy Cost?</a></li>
<li><a href="can-creditors-collect-after-discharge.html">Can Creditors Collect After Discharge?</a></li>
<li><a href="what-happens-at-341-meeting.html">What Happens at the 341 Meeting?</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Legal references</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/chapter-13">11 U.S.C. Chapter 13</a> -- Adjustment of debts of an individual with regular income</li>
<li><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1328">11 U.S.C. Section 1328</a> -- Discharge (Chapter 13)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/109">11 U.S.C. Section 109(e)</a> -- Who may be a debtor (debt limits)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1325">11 U.S.C. Section 1325</a> -- Confirmation of plan</li>
<li><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/506">11 U.S.C. Section 506</a> -- Determination of secured status</li>
<li><a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/services-forms/bankruptcy/bankruptcy-basics/chapter-13-bankruptcy-basics">Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Basics</a> -- U.S. Courts</li>
</ul>
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<p>Related chapters</p>
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<a href="chapter-7.html">Chapter 7</a>
<a href="chapter-13.html" class="current">Chapter 13</a>
<a href="chapter-11.html">Chapter 11</a>
<a href="chapter-12.html">Chapter 12</a>
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