Good Attorneys At Law, P.A. represents clients in aviation tax structuring and transactions, taxpayer representation before the IRS and state taxing authorities, and tax negotiation.

Good Attorneys At Law, PA counsels clients seeking Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection.

Ari Good practices in aviation taxation, corporate and partnership tax, international taxation and in representing clients before state and federal taxing authorities.

Proofs of Claim In Plain English

When an individual debtor (or a corporate debtor in Chapter 11 matters) files for bankruptcy, the creditors identified in the debtor's schedules receive a simple form called a "Proof of Claim".

The Proof of Claim form is, by most government form standards, fairly straightforward and can be completed by individual creditors according to the instructions. Consulting an attorney may nevertheless give you the added reassurance of working with someone who sees these claims everyday.

If you do prefer to go it alone, remember a few basics:

For secured claims, file a separate claim for EACH debt you may have, even if they relate to the same secured property. A mortgage lender, for example, holding both a first and second mortgage should file two claims
Be sure to determine if you have a priority claim that is paid before other types of claims. The most common examples are certain tax debts and child support obligations
Include any attachments that support your claim to the assets (if any) of the debtor's bankruptcy estate.
The bankruptcy courts favor electronic filing.

There are certain risks, however. It is critical for both debtors and creditors that the proof of claim NOT contain certain information, including:

Individuals' social security numbers
Names and dates of birth of minor children
Full account numbers, especially bank accounts. An acceptable format is XXXXXX-[last four or five digits, for identification]

These requirements apply to all filings, including any attachments you may have to your claim.

Naples

7935 Airport Pulling Rd - Suite 216
Naples, FL 34109
Tel: (239) 216-4106
Fax: (239) 216-4107

Fort Myers

5237 Summerlin Commons Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33907
Tel: (239) 877-4183
Fax: (941) 866-7601

Port Charlotte

18245 Paulson Dr
Port Charlotte, FL 33954
Tel: (941) 240-2072
Fax: (941) 866-7601

Disclaimer

The information contained on this page and within this website is not to be construed as legal advice and anyone interested in obtaining information for a particular situation should contact an attorney to discuss the same. Please contact our office today.

The hiring of an attorney is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you hire an attorney, you have a right to ask for further information regarding the attorney's background, training and experience.

The opinions set forth in this website are subject to the disclaimer pertaining to IRS Circular 230 set forth herein:

Unless expressly stated otherwise on this website, (1) nothing contained in this website was intended or written to be used, can be used by any taxpayer, or may be relied upon or used by any taxpayer for the purposes of avoiding penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; (2) any written statement contained on this website relating to any federal tax transaction or matter may not be used by any person to support the promotion or marketing or to recommend any federal tax transaction or matter; and (3) any taxpayer should seek advice based on the taxpayer's particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor with respect to any federal tax transaction or matter contained in this website. No one, without our express written permission, may use any part of this website in promoting, marketing or recommending an arrangement relating to any federal tax matter to one or more taxpayers.