You are behind on your mortgage or car loan, and want to make up the missed payments over time and reinstate the original agreement. You cannot do this in Chapter 7 bankruptcy. You can make up missed payments only in Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

You have a tax obligation, student loan, or other debt that cannot be discharged in Chapter 7. You can include these debts in your Chapter 13 plan and pay them off over time.

You have a sincere desire to repay your debts, but you need the protection of the bankruptcy court to do so.

You have nonexempt property that you want to keep. When you file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you get to keep only "exempt" property -- property that is protected from creditors under state or federal law. You have to give your nonexempt property to the bankruptcy trustee, who will sell it and distribute the proceeds to your creditors.

In Chapter 13, you don't have to give up any property. Instead, you repay your debts out of your income. So, if you have nonexempt property that you can't bear to part with, Chapter 13 might be the better choice.

You have a codebtor on a personal debt. If you file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, your creditor will go after the codebtor for payment. If you file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, the creditor will leave your codebtor alone, as long as you keep up with your bankruptcy plan payments.