You Previously Received a Bankruptcy Discharge

You cannot file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy if you obtained a discharge of your debts in a Chapter 7 case within the last eight years, or a Chapter 13 case within the last six years.

A Previous Bankruptcy Was Dismissed Within the Previous 180 Days

You cannot file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy if a previous Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 case was dismissed within the past 180 days because:

• you violated a court order
• the court ruled that your filing was fraudulent or constituted an abuse of the bankruptcy system, or
• you requested the dismissal after a creditor asked for relief from the automatic stay.

You Defrauded Your Creditors

A bankruptcy court may dismiss your case if it thinks you have tried to cheat your creditors or concealed assets so you can keep them for yourself.

Certain activities are red flags to the courts and trustees. If you have engaged in any of them during the past year, your bankruptcy case may be dismissed. These no-nos include:

• unloading assets to your friends or relatives to hide them from creditors or from the bankruptcy court
• running up debts for luxury items when you were clearly broke and had no way to pay them off
• concealing property or money from your spouse during a divorce proceeding, or
• lying about your income or debts on a credit application.