When is my first Chapter 13 plan payment due?

Not later than 30 days after the date the plan is filed or the order for relief, whichever is earlier, unless the court orders otherwise (11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(1)). District flowcharts show the same step as day 1 to 30. The payment goes to the Chapter 13 trustee, except for lease and adequate protection amounts the statute directs to the lessor or secured creditor.

How long does a Chapter 13 plan last?

Published court flowcharts commonly describe a plan running 3 to 5 years, with the payment stage shown as month 36 to 60. Federal law also uses a 5-year period as a benchmark in one setting: 11 U.S.C. § 1322(a)(4) allows less than full payment of certain priority support claims only if all projected disposable income for a 5-year period beginning when the first payment is due goes into the plan.

What happens to the payments I make before the plan is confirmed?

The trustee retains them until confirmation or denial of confirmation (11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(2)). If the plan is confirmed, the trustee distributes those payments in accordance with the plan as soon as is practicable. If the plan is not confirmed, the trustee returns payments not previously paid and not yet due and owing to creditors, after deducting any unpaid administrative claim the statute allows.

When is the confirmation hearing?

That is set locally, and the range is real. The Middle District of Alabama requires the confirmation hearing to take place within 45 days of the meeting of creditors. The Western District of Oklahoma provides for confirmation hearings held concurrently with the meeting of creditors. Check your own district's rules and the notice the court mails you rather than a schedule published elsewhere.

Do I keep paying my car lender or lessor during the case?

Sometimes, and the statute says so directly. 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(1) contemplates lease payments on personal property paid to the lessor, and adequate protection paid to a creditor holding an allowed claim secured by personal property the debtor purchased — each reducing what goes to the trustee, with evidence of the amount and date given to the trustee. Insurance evidence is also required not later than 60 days after filing.

Chapter 13

Chapter 13 Timeline and Plan Payment Checklist

A Chapter 13 case runs on two clocks. Under 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(1), the debtor commences plan payments not later than 30 days after the plan is filed or the order for relief, whichever is earlier, unless the court orders otherwise. Court flowcharts commonly place the meeting of creditors and the confirmation hearing in the first months, while the plan itself commonly runs 3 to 5 years.

Key points

Plan payments start before confirmation: 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(1) has the debtor commence payments not later than 30 days after the plan is filed or the order for relief, whichever is earlier.
The trustee retains those early payments until confirmation or denial of confirmation, then distributes or returns them under 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(2).
Confirmation is a separate event on the court's calendar, and one district requires the confirmation hearing within 45 days of the meeting of creditors.
Published court flowcharts describe a Chapter 13 plan commonly running 3 to 5 years, with discharge after the plan payments and the required courses are complete.
The Chapter 13 filing fee is $235 under 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B), plus a $78 administrative fee, and courts commonly allow payment in installments.

If you are considering Chapter 13, the two questions that matter first are usually when money starts leaving your account and how long this lasts. Federal law sets the outer frame; your district's local rules and its trustee set most of the actual dates. This page walks the sequence in order, with the authority for each step, so you can tell which parts are national and which are local.

How does the Chapter 13 timeline actually work?

Two calendars run at the same time, and mixing them up is the most common source of confusion.

The court calendar starts with the petition. 11 U.S.C. § 1321 says the debtor shall file a plan. The meeting of creditors (commonly called the 341 meeting) is then scheduled, and the court decides whether to confirm the plan under 11 U.S.C. § 1325.

The payment calendar starts sooner. Under 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(1), the debtor commences payments not later than 30 days after the date of the filing of the plan or the order for relief, whichever is earlier, unless the court orders otherwise. Early payments are not passed straight through to creditors: the trustee retains each payment until confirmation or denial of confirmation, then distributes it in accordance with the plan as soon as is practicable if the plan is confirmed, and returns payments not yet due and owing to creditors if it is not (11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(2)).

What changes how long a case takes?

Most of what stretches a Chapter 13 case is procedural rather than personal.

Objections drive much of it. Local rules set the deadlines: in the Eastern District of Missouri, an objection to confirmation is due no later than 21 days after the conclusion of the meeting of creditors, and a pre-confirmation amended plan is set for hearing no sooner than 21 days after it is served (E.D. Mo. Local Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (effective December 1, 2024)). Each amended plan restarts that clock.

Denial is not the end of the road. One court's flowchart tells a debtor whose plan is denied to file a new plan, seek reconsideration or appeal, or dismiss or convert the case within 14 days (Bankr. D. Minn. official guidance — Chapter 13 Process for Debtors without an Attorney). Conversion to another chapter carries its own consequences under 11 U.S.C. § 348. Missing paperwork also delays things, and in some districts can lead to dismissal.

What does federal law say about plan payments and confirmation?

Four sections carry most of the load.

11 U.S.C. § 1321 requires the debtor to file a plan. 11 U.S.C. § 1322 sets out what the plan must contain: submission of as much future income to the supervision and control of the trustee as executing the plan requires, full payment of priority claims under 11 U.S.C. § 507 in deferred cash payments unless a claim holder agrees to different treatment, and the same treatment for each claim within a class. It also permits curing or waiving defaults and maintaining payments on long-term debts.

11 U.S.C. § 1325 is the confirmation checklist — good faith, required fees paid, unsecured creditors receiving at least what a chapter 7 liquidation would pay them, proper treatment of secured claims, and a finding that the debtor will be able to make all payments under the plan.

11 U.S.C. § 1326 handles the money:

The first payment comes not later than 30 days after the plan is filed or the order for relief, whichever is earlier, unless the court orders otherwise.
Some amounts go out directly — lease payments on personal property to the lessor, and adequate protection to a creditor holding a purchase-money claim secured by personal property — each reducing the payment to the trustee, with evidence of payment provided to the trustee.
Not later than 60 days after filing, a debtor keeping leased or purchase-money personal property must give the lessor or secured creditor reasonable evidence of required insurance, and keep doing so while the property is retained.
Before or at the time of each payment to creditors, administrative claims under 11 U.S.C. § 507(a)(2) and the standing trustee's percentage fee are paid.
The court may modify, increase, or reduce the payments required pending confirmation, after notice and a hearing.

Where do local court rules change the schedule?

The statute is national; the calendar is local. Two districts can run the same case on noticeably different schedules, and both are following the same Bankruptcy Code.

A few published examples show the range:

Local practice also decides which plan document you use — several districts direct debtors to the court's model plan rather than a plan drafted from scratch (Bankr. S.D. Ill. official guidance — Chapter 13 Case Success Requirements; Bankr. E.D. Mich. official guidance — Chapter 13 Checklist.pdf). State law enters mainly through exemptions and median income figures, which are covered on the state pages rather than here, not through the timeline itself. Because these are court-by-court choices, a schedule you read on another district's website can be accurate there and wrong where you file, so it is worth confirming which court and division covers your county before relying on any date.

C.D. Cal. LBR 3015-1: the debtor serves the plan and notice of the confirmation hearing on all creditors and the trustee at least 14 days before the date first set for the meeting of creditors, with proof of service filed and served on the trustee at least 7 days before that date.
W.D. Okla. General Order 26-01 — Adoption of Amended Local Rules: confirmation hearings can be set concurrently with the meeting of creditors, and adequate protection payments are paid monthly through the trustee.
U.S. Bankr. Ct. M.D. Ala., Anatomy of a Bankruptcy Chapter 13: the confirmation hearing must take place within 45 days of the meeting of creditors.

What does a Chapter 13 timeline look like in practice?

Court flowcharts are the closest thing to a standard picture, and several districts publish one. The table below follows the day counts used by the Middle District of Alabama and the Southern District of Illinois, which track each other closely (U.S. Bankr. Ct. M.D. Ala., Anatomy of a Bankruptcy Chapter 13; Bankr. S.D. Ill. official guidance — Chapter 13 Case Flowchart). Minnesota's version adds that once a plan is confirmed the confirmation order enters shortly afterward, and that plan length varies but commonly runs 3 to 5 years (Bankr. D. Minn. official guidance — Chapter 13 Process for Debtors without an Attorney).

Read it as a shape, not a promise. The Minnesota flowchart says plainly that individual cases may differ from the flowchart, and every one of these dates can move when a document is late, a creditor objects, or a meeting is continued.

Typical Chapter 13 sequence as published in district court flowcharts
When	What happens
Within 180 days before filing	Complete the approved credit counseling course and obtain the certificate
Day 1	File the petition, creditor matrix, and statement of Social Security number; pay the filing fee or apply to pay in installments
Day 1–14	File the certificate of credit counseling, lists, schedules, statements, and the Chapter 13 plan if not filed with the petition
Day 1–30	Begin making plan payments to the Chapter 13 trustee
Day 14–43	Provide tax returns, pay advices, and bank statements to the trustee (7 days before the meeting of creditors)
Day 21–50	Meeting of creditors (the 341 meeting)
After the meeting of creditors	Confirmation hearing — within 45 days of the meeting in the Middle District of Alabama
Month 36–60	Complete all payments under the confirmed plan
Before discharge	Complete the financial management course and file the certificate of completion
After plan completion	Trustee files a final report; the court enters a discharge order; the case is closed a minimum of 14 days after the last order

What documents and payments are involved?

The paperwork clusters at three moments: filing, the period before the meeting of creditors, and the end of the plan.

At filing, district checklists ask for the voluntary petition (Form 101), the schedules (Forms 106A/B through 106J) and the declaration about them, the statement of financial affairs (Form 107), the statement about your Social Security numbers (Form 121), Form 122C-1 and, where income is above the median, Form 122C-2, a creditor mailing matrix, the certificate of credit counseling, copies of pay advices received from any employer within 60 days before filing, and the Chapter 13 plan itself (Bankr. N.D. Iowa official page — Chapter 13 Filing Requirements; Bankr. S.D. Ga. official page — Filing Requirements - Chapter 13 Petition).

The filing fee is $235 under 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B), plus a $78 administrative fee (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8). Courts commonly allow an application to pay the fee in installments (Form 103A).

Before the meeting of creditors: tax returns, pay advices, and bank statements go to the trustee 7 days before the meeting (U.S. Bankr. Ct. M.D. Ala., Anatomy of a Bankruptcy Chapter 13).
At the meeting: original government-issued photo identification and acceptable proof of your Social Security number (CASB official material — Chapter 13 Administration Guidelines).
During the case: a personal financial management course certificate — one district requires it within 60 days of the first date set for the meeting of creditors (Bankr. S.D. Ill. official guidance — Chapter 13 Case Success Requirements).
Near the end: certifications about domestic support obligations, filed before discharge (Bankr. E.D. Mich. official guidance — Chapter 13 Checklist.pdf).

What should you ask a bankruptcy lawyer?

Chapter 13 rewards specific questions, because most of the variables are local or personal rather than statutory. Bankruptcy court clerks are explicit that they cannot give legal advice or tell you which forms your case needs (Bankr. N.D. Fla. official page — Chapter 13 - Individual Debt Adjustment), so these are questions for a lawyer or a court-approved legal aid program rather than the intake counter.

Bring your pay stubs, a recent credit report, your mortgage and vehicle statements, and a rough list of what you own and what it is worth. With those in hand, a lawyer can compare the two consumer chapters against your actual numbers, explain what your district's trustee expects and when, and estimate the plan payment that would satisfy 11 U.S.C. § 1325 — none of which a timeline page can do for you. It is also fair to ask what the whole engagement costs and how much of it is paid through the plan.

What plan length do the numbers in my case point to, and why?
When is my first payment due here, and how does the trustee want it paid?
What does our district's trustee require before the meeting of creditors?
Would my confirmation hearing be set concurrently with the meeting of creditors, or later?
What happens if I miss a payment partway through the plan?
What are your fees, and how much of them is paid through the plan?

Frequently asked questions

When is my first Chapter 13 plan payment due?: Not later than 30 days after the date the plan is filed or the order for relief, whichever is earlier, unless the court orders otherwise (11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(1)). District flowcharts show the same step as day 1 to 30. The payment goes to the Chapter 13 trustee, except for lease and adequate protection amounts the statute directs to the lessor or secured creditor.
How long does a Chapter 13 plan last?: Published court flowcharts commonly describe a plan running 3 to 5 years, with the payment stage shown as month 36 to 60. Federal law also uses a 5-year period as a benchmark in one setting: 11 U.S.C. § 1322(a)(4) allows less than full payment of certain priority support claims only if all projected disposable income for a 5-year period beginning when the first payment is due goes into the plan.
What happens to the payments I make before the plan is confirmed?: The trustee retains them until confirmation or denial of confirmation (11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(2)). If the plan is confirmed, the trustee distributes those payments in accordance with the plan as soon as is practicable. If the plan is not confirmed, the trustee returns payments not previously paid and not yet due and owing to creditors, after deducting any unpaid administrative claim the statute allows.
When is the confirmation hearing?: That is set locally, and the range is real. The Middle District of Alabama requires the confirmation hearing to take place within 45 days of the meeting of creditors. The Western District of Oklahoma provides for confirmation hearings held concurrently with the meeting of creditors. Check your own district's rules and the notice the court mails you rather than a schedule published elsewhere.
What if the court does not confirm my plan?: Denial is a fork in the road, not automatically the end of the case. One district's flowchart directs a debtor whose plan is denied to file a new plan, seek reconsideration or appeal, or dismiss or convert the case within 14 days (Bankr. D. Minn. official guidance — Chapter 13 Process for Debtors without an Attorney). Amended plans are common, and each one carries its own objection deadline under local rules.
How much does it cost to file Chapter 13?: The statutory filing fee for an individual or joint Chapter 13 case is $235 under 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B), plus a $78 administrative fee under the Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8. Courts commonly accept an application to pay the fee in installments (Form 103A). Attorney fees are separate and are often paid partly through the plan.
Do I keep paying my car lender or lessor during the case?: Sometimes, and the statute says so directly. 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(1) contemplates lease payments on personal property paid to the lessor, and adequate protection paid to a creditor holding an allowed claim secured by personal property the debtor purchased — each reducing what goes to the trustee, with evidence of the amount and date given to the trustee. Insurance evidence is also required not later than 60 days after filing.

Sources

By Antonio G. Jimenez, Esq. · Florida Bar No. 21022

Sources verified August 1, 2026 · How we verify

Every figure on this page is drawn from a primary legal source and checked against our canonical legal database before publication. Bankruptcy.law is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.

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