The coronavirus CARES Act temporarily allows ongoing Chapter 13 plans to be amended or “modified” to last a total of 7 years (instead of 5).

Last month we described the changes to bankruptcy law made by the coronavirus CARES Act enacted on March 27, 2020. One of those changes is the ability to extend the length of ongoing Chapter 13 payment plans. Until now these previously-approved plans could last from a usual minimum of 3 years to a maximum of 5 years. That maximum has now been extended to 7 years.

The massive $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief law also includes some legal relief for both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 consumer debtors.

If you’re thinking about filing a Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy” case, the new CARES law may help, at least slightly. If instead you’re thinking about a Chapter 13 “adjustment of debts” case, the new law helps in more significant ways. That’s also true if you already are in a Chapter 13 case.

Here’s an adjustment in the law that can benefit you if you are owed wages and/or benefits by a person or business filing bankruptcy.

This is the last of a series of blog posts on the effect of changes going into effect on April 1, 2016. These changes are a result of a cost of living adjustment that’s in the federal bankruptcy law. See Section 104(b) of the Bankruptcy Code.

Soon families of larger than 4 people can have a bit more income and qualify for a 3-year Chapter 13 payment plan instead of a 5-year one.

How could it be that larger families can have shorter Chapter 13 “adjustment of debts” cases?

Here are the rest of the important changes affecting Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases filed on or after April 1, 2016.

Our last blog post a couple days ago described how every 3 years many of the dollar amounts within the bankruptcy laws are adjusted for inflation. The next set of these adjustments will be effective April 1, 2016. The changes don’t apply to ongoing bankruptcy cases but only to new ones filed on or after that date.