Side by Side Comparison of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

	Chapter 7	Chapter 13
Generally	Liquidation of non-exempt assets, discharge of general unsecured debts.	Reorganization and repayment plan.  Debts split into categories.  Some paid in full, others paid a percentage based on income and other factors.
Duration	Time between filing and discharge is approximately 4 months.	Time between filing and discharge is approximately 3-5 years.
Cost	Cheaper	More Expensive
Income	Must be below median or be able to “beat” the Means Test.	Surplus disposable income on either the Means Test or the budget.
Prior Bankruptcy	Ineligible to file if filed a prior Chapter 7 in the last 8 years or a prior Chapter 13 in the last 6 years.	Eligible to file even if not eligible for a discharge.  Eligible for discharge 4 years after prior Chapter 7 or 2 years after prior Chapter 13.
Assets	If equity exceeds allowable exemptions, trustee can sell for benefit of unsecured creditors.	Assets are not liquidated, but repayment plan may require a minimum threshold paid to unsecured creditors to make them as whole as they would have been under Chapter 7.
Stay Protections	Both chapters stop collection efforts, lawsuits, wage garnishments, and utility disconnection.
Repossession & Foreclosure	Automatic stay suspends pending actions temporarily, but no adequate protection for arrears.	Arrears are cured.  Foreclosure and repossession fully stayed pending successful completion of repayment plan.
Codebtor Stay	No	Yes
Other Issues	Preference payments, insider payments, transfers of assets, excessive gambling losses, and fraudulently incurred debt all pose the risk of adversary proceedings or denials of discharge.	Chapter 13 is sort of a fix-all remedy to anything that might be a problem in Chapter 7.  Many issues become non-issues, or are mitigated with a floor amount paid to unsecured creditors spread out over the life of the repayment plan.
Discharge	Non-dischargeable debts simply survive the bankruptcy.	Certain non-dischargeable debts (priority debts, such as taxes and child support) are paid in full.  Other non-dischargeable debts (such as student loans) can be paid down concurrently with unsecured creditors.
Credit	Most people have improved credit scores about 12 months after bankruptcy is filed, assuming they have made payments on surviving debts (e.g. mortgages, car loans, or student loans).	Credit rebuilds a little faster in Chapter 13 than in Chapter 7.

  
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