Bankruptcy Petition - Chapter 13
FLORIDA CHAPTER 13 FILING CONTROL WORKSHEET
NOT A PETITION OR PLAN
Do not copy this worksheet into CM/ECF or file it with the court. Complete the current Official Bankruptcy Forms and the selected Florida district's current Chapter 13 plan. Never condense, adapt, or replace those forms with prose.
1. COUNSEL AND CASE CONTROL
| Item | Verified information |
|---|---|
| Debtor 1 legal name | [________________________________] |
| Debtor 2 legal name, if joint filing | [________________________________] |
| Bankruptcy counsel | [________________________________] |
| Petition-date target | [__/__/____] |
| Selected Florida district | [Northern / Middle / Southern] |
| Division or courthouse | [________________________________] |
| Current local rules checked on | [__/__/____] |
| Current judge procedures checked on | [__/__/____] |
| Current filing fee or approved installment route | [________________________________] |
| Emergency filing reason, if any | [________________________________] |
2. DISTRICT AND PLAN-FORM GATE
Select the district only after counsel completes the venue analysis under 28 U.S.C. § 1408 and confirms the division, local rules, filing procedure, judge requirements, and trustee instructions.
Northern District of Florida
☐ Use the current Northern District local Chapter 13 Plan, LF 13-21.
Court page: https://www.flnb.uscourts.gov/forms/13-21-pdf
Current plan linked by that page: https://www.flnb.uscourts.gov/sites/flnb/files/forms/lf13_21.pdf
Middle District of Florida
☐ Use the current Middle District Chapter 13 Model Plan supplied through the court's External Procedure Manual.
Court page: https://www.flmb.uscourts.gov/proguide/documents.asp?ID=293
Current fillable plan linked by that page: https://www.flmb.uscourts.gov/proguide/documents/Samples/Chapter13Plan_PDFFillable3.pdf?id=1
Southern District of Florida
☐ Use the current Southern District local Chapter 13 Plan, LF-31, revised June 1, 2026.
Court page: https://www.flsb.uscourts.gov/forms/chapter-13-plan-rev-06012026
Current plan linked by that page: https://www.flsb.uscourts.gov/sites/flsb/files/documents/forms/Chapter_13_Plan_%286-1-26%29_reader_enabled.pdf
District, division, plan version, and controlling-procedure conclusion:
[____________________________________________________________]
3. ELIGIBILITY AND PRE-FILING GATE
Debtor and debt eligibility
The current section 109(e) adjustment note, effective April 1, 2025, sets the Chapter 13 limits at less than $526,700 in noncontingent, liquidated unsecured debt and less than $1,580,125 in noncontingent, liquidated secured debt. Recheck the official note immediately before filing.
| Eligibility item | Facts and calculation | Counsel conclusion |
|---|---|---|
| Individual with regular income | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Noncontingent, liquidated unsecured debt | $[________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Noncontingent, liquidated secured debt | $[________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Disputed classification or liquidation issue | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Current adjustment note checked on | [__/__/____] | [________________________________] |
Prior cases and filing restrictions
Section 109(g) creates a specified 180-day bar only in the circumstances stated in that subsection. Record every prior case and analyze section 109(g), stay consequences, dismissals, conversions, and any order actually entered.
| Prior case | Court and number | Filed | Dismissed or closed | Counsel conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] | [__/__/____] | [________________________________] |
Credit counseling
☐ Approved briefing completed during the 180-day period ending on the filing date.
☐ Certificate and any repayment plan obtained.
☐ If relying on an exception or exigent-circumstances route, counsel approved the exact current statute, Form 101 response, supporting facts, and filing timing.
Provider, completion date, and record location: [________________________________]
4. VENUE AND DIVISION RECORD
| Venue fact during the 180-day lookback | Location | Dates | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domicile | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Residence | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Principal place of business | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Principal assets | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Related affiliate, partner, or partnership case, if relied upon | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
Why the selected district holds venue for the longer portion of the applicable period:
[____________________________________________________________]
Division or courthouse assignment source: [________________________________]
5. CURRENT OFFICIAL-FORM CONTROL
Download fresh forms from the United States Courts bankruptcy-forms catalog. Do not reuse a saved form without confirming its revision and petition-date instructions.
| Form or document | Required or action conclusion | Version checked | Complete | Filing or delivery destination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official Form 101 — Voluntary Petition | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | ☐ | [________________________________] |
| Official Form 121 — Social Security Numbers | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | ☐ | [________________________________] |
| Form 106 Summary and Schedules A/B through J, as applicable | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | ☐ | [________________________________] |
| Declaration About Schedules | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | ☐ | [________________________________] |
| Official Form 107 — Statement of Financial Affairs | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | ☐ | [________________________________] |
| Official Form 122C-1 | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | ☐ | [________________________________] |
| Official Form 122C-2, if required | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | ☐ | [________________________________] |
| Selected district Chapter 13 plan | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | ☐ | [________________________________] |
| Creditor name-and-address list in local format | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | ☐ | [________________________________] |
| Credit-counseling certificate and any repayment plan | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | ☐ | [________________________________] |
| Payment advices or permitted alternative | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | ☐ | [________________________________] |
| Attorney-compensation disclosure, if represented | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | ☐ | [________________________________] |
| District, trustee, or case-specific form | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | ☐ | [________________________________] |
6. FILING AND DEADLINE CALENDAR
Do not label every omitted document as due within 14 days. Some items must accompany the petition, and the selected district may impose separate filing, service, or delivery steps.
| Event | Controlling authority, form, or order | Calculated date and time | Filed, served, or delivered | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petition and creditor list | Current Rule 1007 and local procedure | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Credit-counseling documents required with petition | Rule 1007(c)(3) and Form 101 | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Schedules, statements, payment evidence, and means-test forms | Rule 1007 | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Selected district plan | Rule 3015(b) and current district procedure | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| First specified payments | 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(1), filed plan, and court order | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Most recently filed federal return or transcript to trustee | 11 U.S.C. § 521(e)(2); Rule 4002(b)(3) | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Four-year prepetition returns filed with tax authorities | 11 U.S.C. § 1308(a) | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Meeting of creditors | Clerk or trustee notice | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Identity, Social Security, income, account, and expense records | Rule 4002 and trustee instructions | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
Rule 3015(b) requires the Chapter 13 plan with the petition or within 14 days after filing, subject to its stated extension standard. Section 1326(a)(1) requires specified payments no later than 30 days after plan filing or the order for relief, whichever is earlier, unless the court orders otherwise. Calculate the actual dates; do not use a generic next-month formula.
7. TAX AND MEETING-DOCUMENT CONTROL
Section 1308(a) and section 521(e)(2) address different duties.
| Duty | Recipient | Covered record | Deadline | Completion evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prepetition tax returns under section 1308(a) | Appropriate tax authorities | Required returns for taxable periods ending in the four-year prepetition period | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Most recently filed prepetition federal return or transcript | Trustee | Return or transcript identified by section 521(e)(2) | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Meeting identity and financial records | Trustee | Current Rule 4002 documents and any trustee instructions | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
Do not replace one tax duty with another or assume that filing a return with a tax authority delivers it to the trustee.
8. FINANCIAL AND DISCLOSURE RECONCILIATION
| Topic | Source records | Official forms and plan checked | Difference resolved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real estate and liens | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Vehicles and secured personal property | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Bank, investment, retirement, digital, and business assets | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Claims, litigation, transfers, gifts, losses, and repossessions | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Income, household, dependents, and payroll deductions | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Expenses and anticipated changes | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Priority, secured, unsecured, disputed, contingent, and unliquidated debts | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Taxes and refunds | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Domestic-support obligations | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Executory contracts and unexpired leases | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Exemption election and petition-date amounts | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
This worksheet creates no tax-refund turnover amount, attorney-fee entitlement, conduit-payment rule, default, insurance duty, income-change deadline, cure period, jury waiver, notary requirement, or forum-selection clause. Put a term only in the location authorized by the selected current plan, current law, and a controlling court order or procedure.
9. PLAN CONTROL RECORD
Complete the selected district plan itself. Use this table only to reconcile evidence and entries.
| Plan topic | Proposed treatment | Evidence | Plan section | Counsel approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trustee payment and start date | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Plan length | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Secured claim maintenance or cure | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Valuation or lien treatment | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Priority claims | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Executory contracts and leases | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Unsecured distribution | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Domestic-support obligations | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Attorney compensation | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Nonstandard provision, if any | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
Under Rule 3015(c), a nonstandard provision is effective only when it appears in the form's designated nonstandard-provision section and is identified as the form requires. Do not attach a prose summary that changes the selected plan.
10. VERIFICATION, SIGNATURE, PRIVACY, AND FILING REVIEW
☐ Petition, lists, schedules, statements, plan, amendments, and declarations use the required current verification or unsworn declaration.
☐ Debtor and attorney signatures follow the selected district's current filing procedures.
☐ Protected identifiers appear only in the current authorized form, filing event, or redacted manner.
☐ Creditor names and addresses match source records and the district's current upload format.
☐ No notary block was added unless a current form or specific authority requires one.
☐ Filing event, PDF settings, attachments, service, and fees were checked in the live system.
11. FINAL FILING AUTHORIZATION
☐ Chapter 13, credit-counseling, prior-case, and debt-limit eligibility approved.
☐ Venue, district, division, local plan, local rules, and judge procedures approved.
☐ Every form and plan field reconciles to supporting records.
☐ Petition-date means-test, exemption, fee, and adjusted-dollar data are current.
☐ Tax-return filing and trustee-delivery duties are separately calendared.
☐ Plan filing and first-payment dates are calculated from actual events.
☐ Debtors reviewed the completed official forms, selected district plan, and consequences with counsel before signing.
Attorney authorization to file: [________________________________]
Date and time authorized: [__/__/____] [________] [TIME ZONE]
OFFICIAL SOURCES
- Current bankruptcy forms: https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/forms/bankruptcy-forms
- Current Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure: https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-bankruptcy-procedure
- Northern District plan: https://www.flnb.uscourts.gov/forms/13-21-pdf
- Middle District plan: https://www.flmb.uscourts.gov/proguide/documents.asp?ID=293
- Southern District plan: https://www.flsb.uscourts.gov/forms/chapter-13-plan-rev-06012026
About this template
- Last updated
- August 26, 2026
- Citations checked
- August 26, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- Florida
- Category
- Financial & Banking
Legal authority
- 11 U.S.C. § 109(e), (g), and (h) (Chapter 13 eligibility, specified prior-case bar, and credit counseling)
- 11 U.S.C. § 521(b) and (e)(2) (credit-counseling documents and federal tax-return delivery)
- 11 U.S.C. § 1308(a) (prepetition tax-return filing duty)
- 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(1) (initial payment timing)
- 28 U.S.C. § 1408 (bankruptcy venue)
- Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1007 (required documents and filing times)
- Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1008 (verification or unsworn declaration)
- Fed. R. Bankr. P. 3015 (Chapter 13 plan form and timing)
- Fed. R. Bankr. P. 4002 (meeting and tax-return documents)
Financial and banking documents govern loans, security interests, account agreements, and commercial transactions between lenders, borrowers, and financial institutions. Promissory notes, guaranties, security agreements, and UCC filings have precise legal requirements, and mistakes can leave a lender unsecured or a borrower on the hook for more than they agreed to. Well-drafted finance paperwork protects both sides and keeps the deal enforceable if something goes wrong later.
Not legal advice
This template is provided for informational purposes. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.
Checked against the law it cites
A reviewer verified this template's legal citations against the official source on August 26, 2026.
11 U.S.C. § 109(e) adjustment note (checked August 26, 2026): "By notice dated Jan. 30, 2025, 90 F.R. 8941, effective Apr. 1, 2025, in subsec. (e), dollar amounts "465,275" and "1,395,875" were adjusted to "526,700" and "1,580,125", respectively, each time they appeared."
11 U.S.C. § 109(g) (checked August 26, 2026): "Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, no individual or family farmer may be a debtor under this title who has been a debtor in a case pending under this title at any time in the preceding 180 days if—(1) the case was dismissed by the court for willful failure of the debtor to abide by orders of the court, or to appear before the court in proper prosecution of the case; or (2) the debtor requested and obtained the voluntary dismissal of the case following the filing of a request for relief from the automatic stay provided by section 362 of this title."
11 U.S.C. § 109(h)(1) (checked August 26, 2026): "Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), and notwithstanding any other provision of this section other than paragraph (4) of this subsection, an individual may not be a debtor under this title unless such individual has, during the 180-day period ending on the date of filing of the petition by such individual, received from an approved nonprofit budget and credit counseling agency described in section 111(a) an individual or group briefing (including a briefing conducted by telephone or on the Internet) that outlined the opportunities for available credit counseling and assisted such individual in performing a related budget analysis."
11 U.S.C. § 521(b) (checked August 26, 2026): "In addition to the requirements under subsection (a), a debtor who is an individual shall file with the court—(1) a certificate from the approved nonprofit budget and credit counseling agency that provided the debtor services under section 109(h) describing the services provided to the debtor; and (2) a copy of the debt repayment plan, if any, developed under section 109(h) through the approved nonprofit budget and credit counseling agency referred to in paragraph (1)."
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