It started with a stack of paperwork
I built BK Prepare after going through the court system myself. The hardest part for me was not the law. It was the paperwork. The federal courts publish dozens of official bankruptcy forms, and nothing tells you which ones are yours. Some apply to everyone. Others only matter if you own a home, run a business, or earn above a certain income. I had to work out which ones to print and which ones to leave out, and I figured I could not be the only person stuck on that.
The forms are free. The answer was missing.
Every form you need is already public. The courts post them for anyone to download. What you cannot easily find is a straight answer to one question: which of these do I need?
That answer depends on where you live, what you own, what you owe, and what you earn. BK Prepare asks you about those things, works out which federal court covers you, and hands you the list. That is the whole idea, and I think it is enough.
What you can count on
BK Prepare costs nothing and there is no account to create. Your answers stay in your browser and are never sent anywhere. The forms you download are the real, official, blank versions the courts publish, so what you print is exactly what your court expects to see.
What it will not pretend to be
BK Prepare is not a law firm, and it does not give legal advice. It will not fill out your forms, file your case, or tell you whether bankruptcy is the right move. Those calls belong to you, and to an attorney or a legal aid clinic if your situation calls for one. I would rather this tool do one job well than promise ten things it cannot deliver.
From one county to every court
BK Prepare began in Riverside County, California, with one court and one chapter. Today it covers all 94 federal bankruptcy courts, for both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Local forms change often and every court writes its own, so BK Prepare sends you straight to your court's page and tells you what to look for when you get there.
More chapters are next. The goal stays the same: if you have decided to file on your own, finding the right paperwork should be the easy part.
Jesus A., founder of BK Prepare
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