Bankruptcy attorney Houston and chapter 7 premium tips: Non-Exempt Property Seizure – A judgment creditor has a right to have a ‘Writ of Execution’ issued, which will instruct a sheriff to seize and sell any non-exempt property. This may include rental homes, vacation homes, boats and other types of personal property. Even if you do not have any property that the sheriff is allowed to take, you may still be visited by the sheriff if a Writ of Execution is issued. The sheriff will usually send you notice before they visit your home. Receivership – This is a creditor’s harshest collection tool. In my opinion, this tool is not utilized as often for credit card lawsuits due to the costs involved compared to the possibility of recovering money. When a creditor gets a person called a ‘Receiver’ appointed by the court, that person has the power to collect property and funds of the judgment debtor (he steps in the judgment debtor’s financial shoes) and liquidates that property to pay the creditor.
A Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows you to keep your stuff and get on a more affordable repayment plan with your creditors. You’ll need to have enough income to afford the payments and be below the maximum total debt limits (currently nearly $400,000 for unsecured debts and $1 million-plus for secured debts). A court will approve the Chapter 13 repayment plan, which usually lasts three to five years, and your trustee will collect your payments and disburse them to your creditors. Once you finish the plan, the remainder of the unsecured debts is discharged.
I hope that you find this website to be helpful and informative. Information on a website, however, is not a substitute for the knowledge and advice of an experienced bankruptcy attorney. Once you have had a chance to look over our website, please fill out the contact form or give us a call to talk more about the specifics of your situation. I will get back to you the same business day, if possible. Take your first step towards a fresh financial start! I believe that customer service should be the number one priority in any business, but it is also very important important in the bankruptcy and debt settlement field. When people are struggling financially they may be stressed, nervous and scared about their situation. The prompt returning of telephone calls and e-mails is important so as to help alleviate anxiety. You can also take comfort in knowing that you will be speaking with an attorney every time you call or come in for an appointment. Dove Law Firm, PLLC is a Debt Relief Agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code as well as resolve other debt issues.
State sales taxes: This write-off makes sense primarily for those who live in states that do not impose an income tax. You must choose between deducting state and local income taxes, or state and local sales taxes. For most citizens of income-tax-states, the income tax deduction usually is a better deal. IRS has tables for residents of states with sales taxes showing how much they can deduct. But the tables aren’t the last word. If you purchased a vehicle, boat or airplane, you get to add the state sales tax you paid to the amount shown in IRS tables for your state, to the extent the sales tax rate you paid doesn’t exceed the state’s general sales tax rate. The same goes for home building materials you purchased. These items are easy to overlook. The IRS even has a calculator to help you figure out the deduction, which varies by your state and income level. Beginning in 2018, your itemized deduction for state and local taxes is limited to $10,000 per year. You still will only be allowed to deduct either state and local sales tax or state and local income taxes, but not both.
One of Chapter 13’s most attractive features is the chance to keep your home as long as you can pay the mortgage under a settlement plan. Under Chapter 13, people have three to five years to resolve their debts while applying all their disposable income to debt reduction. The option allows applicants to eliminate unsecured debts while catching up on missed mortgage payments. Short-circuiting home foreclosure is one of the option’s most attractive features. Though keeping your home can be a major relief, you’re required to spend years living under the supervision of a court-appointed trustee who will collect and distribute your payments. Read extra details at this page.
Harvest Your Capital Losses: If you own stocks that have lost money, you can sell them and deduct up to $3,000 on your federal taxes. Just be careful not to violate the wash-sale rule, which would disallow the deduction. This rule states you cannot purchase the same or a substantially similar stock within 30 days before or after the sale. “Some people think it’s OK if I do it using two accounts,” Zollars says. They may think they can sell a stock from a taxable account and then immediately purchase similar securities in an IRA. However, this is not allowed. “That’s not the way the rule works,” he says.