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A guide to bankruptcy in Canada

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Should I file for bankruptcy in Canada?

Filing for bankruptcy can be a scary time for anyone. There are many different legal requirements depending on which province you live in, and then there are the questions you’ll have:

What debt can be written off? What debt can’t? What will happen to your credit score? Will you be unable to get credit afterwards?

This brief guide to bankruptcy in Canada will hopefully answer all of these questions for you, but if you have some questions that you feel we haven’t answered, then feel free to get in touch with one of our Trustees for professional, confidential advice.

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Filing for bankruptcy

There are a number of reasons why people file for bankruptcy; everything from using their credit cards just to pay their bills, to struggling with unexpected inherited debt.

Regardless of how you came to have debts that are unmanageable, you need to understand the different types of bankruptcies and the options that are available to you to resolve your financial issues.

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Why should I file for bankruptcy?

Although it may not feel like it at the time, filing for bankruptcy might actually be beneficial for you. If you file for bankruptcy then:

  • The vast majority of your debt will be written off
  • Interest will stop accumulating on your debts
  • No more collectors hounding you for money
  • Your mind will be lifted from the strains of trying to keep up with unmanageable payments
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Do I qualify for bankruptcy?

To qualify for bankruptcy proceedings in Canada, you must meet the following criteria:

  • You must owe at least $1,000 in unsecured debt
  • You owe more in debt than you own in personal assets
  • You are unable to pay your debts
  • You don’t have to be a Canadian national to go bankrupt but you must either reside, do business, or have property in Canada.
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How to file for bankruptcy in Canada

Firstly, you need to recognize that you are having financial problems. If you are having trouble making ends meet at the end of each month or find yourself using credit cards or loans just to stay afloat, then you might need help with bankruptcy proceedings.

To file for bankruptcy, you need to speak to a Licensed Insolvency Trustee in Canada. By Canadian law, they are the only people who can file for bankruptcy on your behalf. Not only can they help you to file for bankruptcy, but they can also recommend any other possible alternatives for you.

Your Trustee will ask you to provide details of your current financial situation and, if bankruptcy is the best option for you, they will start bankruptcy proceedings. It’s important to know that filing for bankruptcy isn’t free – there are fees involved – but your Trustee will go through all of this before moving forward.

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What will happen to your debts?

Usually, the first question that everyone asks when applying for bankruptcy is, ‘Will I lose everything?’ The simple answer to this is NO.

The type of debts that bankruptcy nullifies include:

If you have been out of school for seven years, then your student loan can also be included in your bankruptcy.

However, bankruptcy is not a catch-all solution. There are some debts that are not forgiven. These include spousal and child support payments, debts due to fraud, and court fines. Bankruptcy will also not clear any secured debts.

If your Trustee decides that, after looking at your monthly expenditure, you do have some surplus income and you can afford to pay some money to your creditors, they will set this up. You will only have to make one monthly payment and the Trustee will divide it up amongst your creditors accordingly.

What happens next?

Once your filing for bankruptcy has begun, an immediate ‘stay of proceedings’ comes into play. This means that your creditors can no longer contact you to reclaim the monies that you owe them.

You have certain obligations that you have to meet once you have been declared bankrupt:

  • You must surrender any assets – this means savings, vehicles, properties etc. They will be used to pay back your creditors.
  • Relinquish your credit cards to your Trustee.
  • Attend credit counselling sessions; one within 90 days of being declared bankrupt, and one further one before you are discharged.
  • You need to provide your Trustee with a breakdown of your monthly income
  • If you have agreed to make some form of payment to your creditors, these payments MUST be made.

If you break these terms, the bankruptcy could be nullified and you may be liable once again for all the debt that you are trying to get written off.

You are usually discharged from bankruptcy after 9 months, but this can last up to 36 months if you have been bankrupt more than once in the past.

Once this time has elapsed, you can start rebuilding your credit score, but the bankruptcy will stay on your credit record for 6 years, so this may be a slow process.

However, you will be debt-free and you can start to rebuild your creditor score. Initially, you’ll find that the interest rates you get offered are higher than what you’ve been used to in the past, but as you rebuild your credit score then the better deals will come accordingly. If you are applying for credit over $1,000 then you must declare that you’re an active bankrupt.

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Support across Canada

Why Harris & Partners

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Remove up to 80% of your debt

Our Licensed Insolvency Trustees provide a customized service that could remove up to 80% of your debt and stress, so you can breathe easier.

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We speak your language

Our multilingual team provides support in many languages, from Farsi and Portuguese to Italian and Tamil, leaving out complicated jargon, so you understand everything, every step of the way.

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Debt support across nine provinces

Want to speak to someone in person? Our team is on hand to help at a Harris & Partners office near you.

Harris & Partners: Help with Bankruptcy

At Harris and Partners, we have over 50 years of experience in helping people filing for bankruptcy. We have nearly as many branches all across Canada as we do years of experience, including TorontoOttawa and Edmonton. Our Licensed Insolvency Trustee can help you with every aspect of filing for bankruptcy, explain the different types of bankruptcies available to you, and the bankruptcy exemptions that apply to you depending upon which province you live in.

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Shahrad Nakhaie
Shahrad Nakhaie
2022-12-23
They are so great, every thing was so easy for me. Unbelievable, All my debt are gone now and I feel like I'm free, thanks Osman Ali for all you did for me, at the first time it's even hard to believe that was real, but it's real and easy. Thank you bro for your help.
Cody
Cody
2022-12-06
Osman is a professional and you cant find anybody better. He really cared about my situation and paid attention to every little detail so he can help me best. Thank you osman and the rest of the team for helping me through my struggles.
Banda Gueye
Banda Gueye
2022-10-29
Osman is a vert nice gentlemen, he was polite sweet and gentle. He really cared about my situation and paid attention to every little detail so he can help me best. Thank you Osman and the rest of the team for helping me through my struggles.
Kim Brown
Kim Brown
2022-08-29
So far this has been a great company, I have been with them over a year. Every time I have an issue Josh jumps right on it and helps me out. He never makes me feel like I'm being a pain in the butt 🙂 I definitely recommend them, I have referred two of my family members to get help and now Josh is helping them as well. I thank you Josh for all the hard work and responding so quickly to all my messages.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ajanthan Murugananthan
Ajanthan Murugananthan
2022-04-28
Staff members Samuel and Josh were both amazing. Both very friendly, professional, and efficient. They took care of my credit card issues and line of credit and made it manageable. I would highly recommend Harris & Partners Inc. They have given me a new life in my financial life to success.
Paul Woo
Paul Woo
2022-03-01
Staff members Yasan and Josh were both amazing. Both very friendly, professional, and efficient. They took care of my credit card issues and made it manageable. I would highly recommend Harris & Partners Inc.