Voluntary Retirement Contributions and Calculation of Disposable Income

By Thomas D. DeCarlo, Staff Attorney, Office of David Wm, Ruskin, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee, Eastern District of Michigan

One of the (many) vexing questions arising out of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act involves the interplay between a debtor’s “projected disposable income” and a debtor’s voluntary contributions to a retirement account. Section 541(b)(7) excludes from property of the estate voluntary contributions of a debtor to a qualified pension plan. Section 541(b)(7) then added the rather curious “tag line” that provides, “except that such amount under this subparagraph shall not . . .

It looks like you are not signed in or registered! This content is only available to members.

Or Sign In Below:

No Author Biography has been linked to this Article.

What, Exactly, Is the Trustee’s Percentage Fee

Rebecca Herr

April 23, 2023

In recent years, a handful of cases have discussed the issue of what happens to the trustee’s percentage fee, collected from debtor plan payments, upon the dismissal or conversion of a case prior to confirmation. This is an emerging area of law, with decisions on both sides. However, with this new issue, there appears to be at least some confusion...

Members

How I Got Started

George Stevenson

May 8, 2022

My life in 1982 was in a bit of turmoil. I had recently gotten married and was working as in-house counsel for a regional furniture retailer. My position included a lot of collection work – beating up on debtors in state and bankruptcy courts. I was not unhappy but I was not comfortable with my work – it was clear...

Mortgage Loan Modification Does Not Alter Lien Priority

December 6, 2020

By Scott F. Waterman, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Reading) Modifying a first mortgage is one of the most common loss mitigation tools available to bring a loan current to prevent foreclosure. In this case the first mortgage was modified twice by capitalizing the unpaid interest, reducing the interest rate, and reducing the monthly payments...

The Effect of “Success” (or the Lack of It) on Attorneys’ Fees – Part 1: Judicial and Legislative Background

Lawrence R. Ahern, III

September 18, 2022

Introduction In In re Village Apothecary, Inc.,1 the Sixth Circuit last month reduced an attorney's fees by half, where the professional's services were not "successful." The results obtained (or, actually, the lack of results) justified cutting the fees of attorneys for a Chapter 7 trustee by 50%. Why It Matters to Chapter 13 People This analysis of the implications of...

Members

4 Reasons to Keep Time Records No One Discusses

Cathy Moran

July 17, 2022

Mention keeping time records to a bankruptcy lawyer and you’re likely met with expressions of utter revulsion. All too many assert that the major appeal of being a bankruptcy lawyer is precisely that they don’t have to keep time. Between flat fee deals with clients, and no look fees in Chapter 13, they feel liberated from the clock and the...

Members

TFS Bill Pay Announces New Attorney Report Center

November 21, 2021

TFS Bill Pay has launched a new powerful tool to help you succeed; the Attorney Report Center located in your AttorneyPortal. In the current bankruptcy environment, it is absolutely essential that your firm receives all of the compensation for the valuable work it has already done. TFS now provides you with pre-set, real-time reports to confirm your clients’ payments, which...

Critical Case Comment – Nothing Requires a Plan to Provide for All Secured Claims

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

December 12, 2021

If a Chapter 13 plan makes no provision for a mortgage obligation, omits any treatment of the mortgage claims, and prohibits the Trustee from making disbursements toward the claims, the claims are not provided for by the plan and the plan can be confirmed over the objection of the creditor and the trustee; nothing requires a plan to provide for...

Members

Small Business Chapter 11 Update, Where Are We Eight Months In?

November 22, 2020

By M. Jonathan Hayes We are now eight months into the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019, which took effect in February. The act attempted to establish a cheaper, quicker route for small businesses to reorganize under new Subchapter V of the bankruptcy code. Here are a few of my observations over the past several months. First, some small businesses...

Avoidance Powers in Chapter 13 – Part 5 of 6

January 27, 2019

By John P. Gustafson, United States Bankruptcy Judge, Northern District of Ohio, Western Division (Toledo, OH) Click here for Part 1 Click here for Part 2 Click here for Part 3

Members

Yet Another Reason Why the Means Test is “Broken”

Thomas D. DeCarlo

December 18, 2022

The Bankruptcy Code produces some difficult results. Sometimes those results pass difficult and extend into problematic. The Bankruptcy Court for the District of Idaho crossed well over difficult in In re Clifford, 2022 WL 16727279 (Bankr. D. Id. 2022). The question addressed in Clifford is one that comes up in every Chapter 13 case – how do we calculate “Current...