Nobody wants to file for bankruptcy. Even though you can discharge your debts so that you are no longer legally liable for them, there are a few negative consequences that come from filing for bankruptcy, including a hit to your credit score. However, if you are one of the millions of Americans who are struggling financially, bankruptcy may be the solution. The current coronavirus pandemic has hit the U.S. economy hard, causing unemployment to soar to levels unseen since the Great Depression. The coronavirus has affected many things, including making temporary changes to the bankruptcy code.

The CARES Act

Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in response to the economic crisis emerging from the pandemic. Valued at more than $2 trillion, the CARES Act was monumental for the U.S. as it is the largest stimulus package to become enacted in the history of the country. One of the most popular benefits the Act provides is the economic impact payments that are given to most households and individuals. Single tax filers will receive $1,200, while married couples who file jointly will receive $2,400. Each child that an individual or married couple has that is under 17 will receive an additional $500.

If you injured someone by unlawfully driving while intoxicated, the resulting personal injury debt would be a priority debt in bankruptcy.

Priority Debts

For many weeks our blog posts have been considering how bankruptcy deals with “priority” debts. Examples of these special debts that we’ve covered include child/spousal support, income taxes, and wages owed employees. Sections 507(a)(1),(4), and (8) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

There’s one more kind of priority debt. It does not come up often but if it affects you, you need to know about it.

One of the most important aspects of bankruptcy is that all debts are not equal. “Priority” debts are treated special in a number of ways.

Debts Are Different So the Law Recognizes Some Differences

The law does not treat all debts the same. That’s because you have different kinds of creditors that you owe for very different reasons. The law tries to be practical and so to some extent it respects these differences.

Your debts all fall into three categories:

Most Americans have some sort of debt, with one of the most common forms of debt being credit card debt. Most of the time, debt is manageable if you are able to budget your money, but sometimes life happens and debt can become overwhelming. In cases such as those, bankruptcy is often your best option. Filing for bankruptcy can allow you to manage your debt in affordable payments or even discharge your debt, allowing you to wipe your slate clean.

Unfortunately, sometimes your first bankruptcy is not your last bankruptcy. If you find yourself drowning in unmanageable debt again, you may wonder if it is possible to file for bankruptcy again. Technically, the answer is yes, but there are a few stipulations you should know about.

Filing for Bankruptcy More Than Once

For some people, filing for bankruptcy can be a scary thing. In the beginning, you may not know what the future has in store for you and you may wonder which of your possessions you are allowed to keep and which possessions you must give up. Exemptions are an important part of the bankruptcy process. In a bankruptcy case, exemptions are the possessions that you get to keep after you have liquidated your luxury assets to help pay back a portion of your debts. Each state has its own guidelines for what property is exempt during a bankruptcy. In 17 states, including the state of Texas, you are able to choose between state exemption guidelines or federal guidelines, but you must choose one or the other. It is important to understand bankruptcy exemptions because they do differ.

Federal Exemptions

The exemptions that are listed here are the exemption amounts for each individual bankruptcy filer. That means if both you and your spouse are filing for bankruptcy, you can double the amounts. Here is a list of the current federal exemption amounts for each individual filer: