Do I have to complete credit counseling before filing a chapter 7, chapter 11, chapter 12, or chapter 13 bankruptcy?

Yes. All bankruptcy filers must complete credit counseling, including those with primarily business debts. (11 U.S.C. § 109(h)). Credit counseling is also called the first course, pre-filing bankruptcy credit counseling, bankruptcy credit counseling, pre-bankruptcy credit counseling, or credit counseling certification.

Do I have to complete debtor education before being discharged from a bankruptcy?

Yes. All bankruptcy filers must complete debtor education. Debtor education is also called the second course, the personal financial management instructional course, post-filing bankruptcy debtor education, pre-discharge debtor education or the postpetition instructional course concerning personal financial management. Depending on the specifics of your case and advice from your bankruptcy attorney, you may want to take this course prior to the meeting of creditors.

Can I complete my credit counseling and debtor education at the same time?

No, the Bankruptcy Code requires bankruptcy filers to complete credit counseling before filing for bankruptcy, subject to certain exceptions, and requires debtor education to be completed after the bankruptcy case is filed.

Can someone with a power of attorney complete credit counseling and/or debtor education on my behalf?

Yes, if the power of attorney is valid under state law and grants your representative the authority under state law to file a bankruptcy petition. The certificate(s) must list both the name of the bankruptcy filer and the name of the representative along with that representative’s legal capacity (e.g. John Doe, as Attorney-In-Fact for Jane Doe).

Can Financial Education Services advise whether a power of attorney is sufficient to allow my authorized representative to complete credit counseling and/or debtor education on my behalf?

No. Because FES cannot provide legal advice, we cannot advise whether your power of attorney is valid under state law and legally sufficient to authorize credit counseling and/or debtor education. Your attorney and/or your bankruptcy court may be able to advise you regarding this matter.

Do I need to complete a separate credit counseling session and/or debtor education courses if I intend to file a joint bankruptcy petition?

No. Joint filers may complete the same credit counseling session and/or debtor education course although each bankruptcy filer will be issued a separate certificate.

I finished my course. How can I get my certificate?

Your certificate(s) should be issued to you, your attorney and/or any recipient you requested during your course registration via email, fax and/or hardcopy mail. Oftentimes, certificates are issued within several minutes while in other instances they take a bit longer. If you asked for your certificate to be sent to your email address, try checking your email service’s spam folder to see if the email message containing your certificate is in there. You may also log in at the top right of this page using the user name you registered with and follow the instructions to get your certificate(s). Otherwise, send an email message to info@fescourses.orgwith your First Name, Last Name, Last 4 of SSN and your email address, and we will send a copy to your email address right away

My attorney did not receive my certificate. What should I do?

Send an email to info@fescourses.orgwith your First Name, Last Name, Last 4 of SSN and your Attorney’s Email address, and we will send a copy to your attorney’s email address right away.

How can I get another copy of my certificate?

Log in at the top right of this page using the user name you registered with and follow the instructions to get your certificate(s). You can also send an email message to info@fescourses.orgwith your First Name, Last Name, Last 4 of SSN and your email address, and we will send a copy to your email address right away.

I am trying to login to take the course but the system will not recognize my user name. What should I do?

You must first register for the course. If you have registered but still cannot get in, send an email to info@fescourses.orgwith your First Name, Last Name, and Last 4 of SSN, and we will assist you.

Are your courses approved by the US Trustee?

Yes. Our bankruptcy credit counseling and debtor education are approved by the Executive Office for U.S Trustees.

Is your course approved in Alabama and North Carolina?

No. Our courses are not approved in any of the districts of Alabama and North Carolina.

What States are you approved in?

We are approved to provide this bankruptcy credit counseling course in all U.S. states and territories EXCEPT Alabama and North Carolina.

Do I have to take a test?

CREDIT COUNSELING: No. You cannot fail credit counseling. As long as you spend the amount of time required by law and complete your mandated follow-up counseling session with a certified credit counselor, you will have successfully completed your credit counseling.

DEBTOR EDUCATION: Yes. A test is required by law. Our end of course test is multiple choice and you only need to answer 70% of the questions correctly to successfully complete your debtor education. You can retake the test as many times as you need to get a score of at least 70%.

Will you send a copy of my certificate to my attorney?

Yes. If you indicate that you have an attorney, we will submit a copy of the certificate of completion to your attorney.

Do I have to complete the course in one sitting?

No. If you log off the pre-filing bankruptcy credit counseling or debtor education without completing it, our system will remember where you left off once you log back in. You can finish your course at your own pace. Our certified credit counselors are available 24 hours, 7 days a week.

What happens after I receive my pre-filing bankruptcy certificate?

You will have to file the certificate with the appropriate bankruptcy court evidencing that you completed your course. If you have an attorney, your attorney should file the certificate with the court for you along with your bankruptcy petition.

Is it safe to input my credit card information on your website?

Yes. All payments will be made over a secure encrypted connection so credit card numbers and private details cannot be stolen in transit. This is as secure as online ordering can be. All payment processing is handled by our third-party merchant account provider which process thousands of transactions per day.

Can my spouse and I take the course together?

Yes. You and your spouse can register and take credit counseling and debtor education together or separately.

I do not remember my password.

You must first register for the course. If you have registered but still cannot get in, send an email to info@fescourses.org with your First Name, Last Name, and Last 4 of SSN, and we will assist you..

Where can I find my bankruptcy case number?

Your bankruptcy case number (e.g., 14-12345) can be found on your bankruptcy paperwork. After you file a bankruptcy case, the court usually sends you a confirmation that contains your bankruptcy case number. If you have an attorney, they can provide you this information. The bankruptcy case number consists of 2 numerical digits for the year (e.g., 14) and the 5 digits that follow. If your case number looks like 1:14-bk-12345-xyz, we just need the 14-12345

What happens after I receive my post-filing bankruptcy certificate?

You will have to file the certificate with the appropriate bankruptcy court. If you have an attorney, your attorney should file the certificate with the court for you.