Are you thinking, “I need to call a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Attorney near me.”
Well, you can work with an Experienced Local Bankruptcy Lawyer Near You Today!
While Chapter 7 bankruptcy is referred to as “liquidation,” Chapter 13 bankruptcy, also known as “reorganization,” gives a person the ability to restructure his or her debt into manageable payments over a period of time – typically either three or five years.
In order to qualify for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, a person must have some form of income, and his or her income must be sufficient to fund a repayment plan.
Contact JPPLAW for a FREE CONSULTATION Today!
Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows you to reorganize your debt through a structured repayment plan, helping you avoid foreclosure, repossession, and other aggressive collection actions. If you have fallen behind on your mortgage or are receiving foreclosure notices, Chapter 13 can be a powerful tool to help you regain control of your finances and protect your home.
Upon filing, an automatic stay goes into effect, stopping foreclosure proceedings, vehicle repossessions, wage garnishments, and other debt collection activity. This gives you the breathing room you need to catch up on missed payments while working toward long-term financial stability.
Start to Finish 36 or 60 Months
Contact JPPLAW; speak with Attorney Jason P. Provinzano, and get a game plan together
Complete an at-home credit counseling course, which takes about an hour (online or over-the phone)
Your case is filed and the automatic stay goes into effect – No more creditor harassment
We submit your Chapter 13 Plan (repayment plan) to the Bankruptcy Court for approval
30 - 40 days after your case is filed,
we attend a Bankruptcy 341(a)
Meeting via Zoom.
(Not scary - Never go to Court)
A confirmation hearing will be held 30-45 days after your Bankruptcy 341(a) Meeting (You don’t attend)
Complete an at-home debtor education course, which takes about two hours (online or over-the phone)
Once your thirty-six or sixty month payment plan is complete, all remaining debt will be discharged (You're good to go!)
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For many Pennsylvanians, financial trouble doesn’t come from reckless spending—it comes from trying to hold everything together. You may have a steady job but fallen behind after a divorce, medical crisis, job interruption, or rising cost of living. Creditors are calling, foreclosure or repossession feels close, and you’re making payments but never catching up.
In those situations, Chapter 13 bankruptcy—often called the wage earner plan—can be a powerful tool. Unlike Chapter 7, Chapter 13 is designed for people with regular income who need time, structure, and legal protection to regain control.
A Chapter 13 bankruptcy lawyer in Pennsylvania helps you build and navigate a court-approved repayment plan that can stop foreclosure, prevent repossession, restructure debt, and give you a realistic path forward without liquidating your assets. This page explains how Chapter 13 works in Pennsylvania, who it’s best for, how repayment plans function, and why working with an experienced attorney matters.
Chapter 13 bankruptcy is a court-supervised repayment process that allows individuals with regular income to reorganize their debts over time instead of wiping them out immediately.
Rather than selling assets, Chapter 13 creates a repayment plan, usually lasting three to five years, during which you make one monthly payment to a Chapter 13 trustee. The trustee distributes that payment to creditors according to the rules of the Bankruptcy Code.
At the end of a successful Chapter 13 case:
Chapter 13 is not about punishment or failure. It is about structure—taking financial chaos and replacing it with a predictable, legally enforceable plan.
Chapter 13 is often chosen not because people prefer it, but because it solves problems that Chapter 7 cannot. In Pennsylvania, Chapter 13 is commonly used to:
If you have income but need breathing room and legal leverage, Chapter 13 may be the most effective option available.
Many people begin by asking about Chapter 7, only to learn that Chapter 13 is a better fit. The key differences include:
Chapter 7:
Chapter 13:
A Chapter 13 bankruptcy lawyer helps you decide not just what you can file, but what you should file based on your goals, risks, and long-term stability.
To file Chapter 13, you must:
Unlike Chapter 7, there is no absolute income cap for Chapter 13. In fact, people with higher income are often steered into Chapter 13 because the law expects them to repay a portion of their debt.
Self-employed individuals, commission-based workers, and gig workers can still qualify as long as income is reasonably predictable.
As soon as a Chapter 13 case is filed, the automatic stay goes into effect. This court order:
For many clients, filing Chapter 13 is the first moment of relief they’ve had in months or years. The pressure stops, and the focus shifts from crisis to planning.
In Chapter 13, you make one monthly payment to the trustee instead of juggling multiple creditors. That payment is based on:
The trustee distributes funds to:
At the end of the plan, remaining eligible unsecured balances are discharged.
One of the most common reasons Pennsylvanians file Chapter 13 is to save a home from foreclosure.
Chapter 13 allows you to:
Even if a foreclosure case is already pending, Chapter 13 can often stop it—sometimes right up until the sheriff sale. This makes timing and legal strategy critical.
Chapter 13 can also be used to:
These tools are not available in Chapter 7 and can make the difference between keeping or losing reliable transportation.
Certain debts cannot be discharged immediately, but Chapter 13 provides a structured way to deal with them. These include:
Chapter 13 allows these debts to be paid in an orderly way, often without additional penalties or collection action during the case.
Chapter 13 is far more complex than Chapter 7. It involves:
Mistakes can result in:
A Pennsylvania Chapter 13 bankruptcy lawyer helps by:
At JPP Law, Chapter 13 cases are approached as long-term partnerships, not one-time filings. Clients receive guidance not just at filing, but throughout the entire repayment period.
If you are facing foreclosure, repossession, wage garnishment, or overwhelming debt but still have income, speaking with a Chapter 13 bankruptcy lawyer can help you understand whether this option fits your situation. You can Contact Us today to schedule a consultation and discuss your options.
Chapter 13 requires discipline, but it also provides clarity. Instead of constant uncertainty, you have:
After completion and discharge, many clients find themselves in a stronger financial position than they’ve been in for years—current on major obligations, free of unsecured debt, and better positioned to rebuild credit and savings.
A Chapter 13 bankruptcy lawyer does far more than file paperwork. They analyze your income, expenses, assets, and debts to design a repayment plan the court will approve and you can realistically complete. They negotiate with the trustee, address creditor objections, handle plan modifications if your income changes, and ensure you remain protected throughout the three-to-five-year process. Without proper legal guidance, Chapter 13 cases are far more likely to fail or be dismissed, which can restart collections and put assets back at risk.
Yes. Chapter 13 is one of the most effective tools available to stop foreclosure in Pennsylvania. Once the case is filed, the automatic stay halts foreclosure proceedings, including sheriff sales in many cases. The repayment plan allows you to spread missed mortgage payments over several years while resuming regular payments going forward. Timing is critical, though, especially if a sale date is approaching, which is why early legal advice is important.
Most Chapter 13 cases last either three or five years. The length depends on your income relative to the state median and the structure of your repayment plan. Higher-income filers are often required to complete five-year plans. During this time, you must make monthly trustee payments and stay current on ongoing obligations. Completing the plan successfully leads to discharge of remaining eligible unsecured debts.
Income changes are common during a three-to-five-year plan. If your income decreases due to job loss, illness, or other hardship, your attorney may be able to request a plan modification or temporary relief. If your income increases, the trustee may review whether the plan should be adjusted. Chapter 13 is flexible, but changes must be handled properly through the court to avoid dismissal or default.
Often, yes. Many people file Chapter 13 because their income is too high for Chapter 7 or because they have assets Chapter 7 would put at risk. Chapter 13 allows them to keep property and repay debts in a structured, affordable way. While it requires a longer commitment, it can provide stronger asset protection and more comprehensive solutions for issues like foreclosure, car arrears, and tax debt.