Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure
Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1009 — Amending a Voluntary Petition, List, Schedule, or Statement
Rule 1009 governs correcting or updating the paperwork filed in a bankruptcy case. Under subsection (a)(1), a debtor may amend a voluntary petition, list, schedule, or statement at any time before the case is closed, and must give notice of the amendment to the trustee and any affected entity. Subsection (a)(2) lets the court order an amendment on a party in interest's motion. Subsections (b) and (c) set separate rules for the statement of intention and for a Social-Security number.
Bankruptcy paperwork is long, and people forget a creditor, misstate a value, or discover a mistake weeks after filing. Rule 1009 is the rule that says what happens next: it sets out who may amend, how long the window stays open, and who has to be told. Knowing this rule exists is often the difference between panic and a routine filing.
Can I fix a mistake or add a creditor after I file?
Subsection (a)(1) is the part of the rule most people are looking for. It provides that a debtor may amend a voluntary petition, list, schedule, or statement at any time before the case is closed. The rule sets no separate deadline of its own for this — the outer limit it states is the closing of the case, so an omitted creditor, a wrong value, or an incomplete answer discovered after filing is something the rule contemplates being corrected rather than something the rule forecloses. Note what the rule covers: the petition, lists, schedules, and statements filed in a voluntary case. The permission in subsection (a)(1) runs to the debtor, and it comes with a condition, not a formality — the debtor must give notice of the amendment to the trustee and any affected entity. Filing the corrected paper is only half of what the rule requires. Whether a particular amendment is granted the effect the debtor is hoping for is a separate question the rule does not address, and one worth raising with a lawyer.
Who has to be told about an amendment?
Rule 1009 places the notice duty in two different places depending on who is doing the amending. When the debtor amends under subsection (a)(1), the debtor must give notice of the amendment to the trustee and to any affected entity. The same duty appears again in subsection (b) for an amended statement of intention: notice to the trustee and any affected entity. When the amendment is ordered by the court on a party in interest's motion under subsection (a)(2), the burden shifts — the clerk must give notice of the amendment to the entities the court designates. Subsection (d) adds a step that happens automatically: the clerk must promptly send a copy of every amendment filed under this rule to the United States trustee. That is the clerk's job, not the debtor's, and it applies to every amendment under the rule, not just some of them. For subsection (c) amendments involving a Social-Security number, the rule identifies the recipients differently — see the discussion of that subsection.
When is the deadline to amend a statement of intention?
The statement of intention is treated separately in subsection (b), and it is the one place in this rule where the window closes before the case does. A debtor may amend a statement of intention at any time before the time provided in §521(a)(2) expires. The rule does not itself state how long that period runs; it points to §521(a)(2), so that is where the length of the window comes from. As with subsection (a)(1), the debtor must give notice of the amendment to the trustee and any affected entity. The practical point is the contrast. If you are amending a schedule, subsection (a)(1) gives you until the case closes. If you are amending your statement of intention, subsection (b) measures the deadline against the §521(a)(2) period instead. If your circumstances around secured property or a lease have changed, the timing question is worth confirming early rather than assuming the broader subsection (a)(1) window applies.
What if my Social Security number is wrong on my bankruptcy filing?
Subsection (c) is written in mandatory terms, which sets it apart from the rest of the rule. Everywhere else Rule 1009 says a debtor "may" amend. Here, if a debtor learns that a Social-Security number shown on the statement submitted under Rule 1007(f) is incorrect, the debtor must do two things. First, promptly submit an amended verified statement with the correct number, which the rule identifies as Form 121. Second, give notice of the amendment to all entities required to be listed under Rule 1007(a)(1) or (a)(2). The trigger is learning that the number is incorrect, and the timing word the rule uses is "promptly." The notice group here is defined by cross-reference to Rule 1007, not by the "affected entity" language used elsewhere in Rule 1009, so the list of who must be told is drawn differently for this correction than for an ordinary schedule amendment.
Can someone else force a change to my schedules?
Yes — subsection (a)(2) provides a path that does not run through the debtor. On a party in interest's motion, and after notice and a hearing, the court may order a voluntary petition, list, schedule, or statement to be amended. Two features of that sentence matter. The amendment is not automatic: it takes a motion, and it takes notice and a hearing before the court acts. And the decision is discretionary in the rule's own words — the court "may" order the amendment. Where the debtor's own amendments under subsection (a)(1) carry a self-executing notice duty, an amendment ordered under subsection (a)(2) is noticed by the clerk, to the entities the court designates. Trustees and creditors are among those who can be parties in interest in a bankruptcy case, so a motion under this subsection is a realistic possibility if someone believes the filed paperwork is inaccurate or incomplete. If a motion like this is filed in your case, it is a point to discuss with a lawyer.
This summary is our plain-English explanation, written to help you find the right part of the text below. The section itself is the authority — where the two differ, the text controls.
Text of Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1009
Reproduced in full from the official source, verified as of July 2026. View it at the source.
(a) In General.
(1) *By a Debtor*. A debtor may amend a voluntary petition, list, schedule, or statement at any time before the case is closed. The debtor must give notice of the amendment to the trustee and any affected entity.
(2) *By a Party in Interest*. On a party in interest's motion and after notice and a hearing, the court may order a voluntary petition, list, schedule, or statement to be amended. The clerk must give notice of the amendment to entities that the court designates.
(b) Amending a Statement of Intention. A debtor may amend a statement of intention at any time before the time provided in §521(a)(2) expires. The debtor must give notice of the amendment to the trustee and any affected entity.
(c) Amending a Statement of Social-Security Number. If a debtor learns that a social-security number shown on the statement submitted under Rule 1007(f) is incorrect, the debtor must:
(1) promptly submit an amended verified statement with the correct number (Form 121); and
(2) give notice of the amendment to all entities required to be listed under Rule 1007(a)(1) or (a)(2).
(d) Copy to the United States Trustee. The clerk must promptly send a copy of every amendment filed under this rule to the United States trustee.
(As amended Mar. 30, 1987, eff. Aug. 1, 1987; Apr. 30, 1991, eff. Aug. 1, 1991; Apr. 12, 2006, eff. Dec. 1, 2006; Apr. 23, 2008, eff. Dec. 1, 2008; Apr. 2, 2024, eff. Dec. 1, 2024.)
Notes and amendment history
Published by the official source alongside the section above. These notes record how the text has changed over time and the reasoning behind those changes. They are not the operative rule — the enacted text is the section itself.
Notes of Advisory Committee on Rules—1983
This rule continues the permissive approach adopted by former Bankruptcy Rule 110 to amendments of voluntary petitions and accompanying papers. Notice of any amendment is required to be given to the trustee. This is particularly important with respect to any amendment of the schedule of property affecting the debtor's claim of exemptions. Notice of any amendment of the schedule of liabilities is to be given to any creditor whose claim is changed or newly listed.
The rule does not continue the provision permitting the court to order an amendment on its own initiative. Absent a request in some form by a party in interest, the court should not be involved in administrative matters affecting the estate.
If a list or schedule is amended to include an additional creditor, the effect on the dischargeability of the creditor's claim is governed by the provisions of §523(a)(3) of the Code.
Notes of Advisory Committee on Rules—1987 Amendment
*Subdivision (a)* is amended to require notice and a hearing in the event a party in interest other than the debtor seeks to amend. The number of copies of the amendment will be determined by local rule of court.
*Subdivision (b)* is added to treat amendments of the statement of intention separately from other amendments. The intention of the individual debtor must be performed within 45 days of the filing of the statement, unless the court extends the period. Subdivision (b) limits the time for amendment to the time for performance under §521(2)(B) [now 521(a)(2)(B)] of the Code or any extension granted by the court.
Notes of Advisory Committee on Rules—1991 Amendment
The amendments to subdivision (a) are stylistic.
*Subdivision (c)* is derived from Rule X–1002(a) and is designed to provide the United States trustee with current information to enable that office to participate effectively in the case.
Committee Notes on Rules—2006 Amendment
*Subdivision (c).* Rule 2002(a)(1) provides that the notice of the §341 meeting of creditors include the debtor's social security number. It provides creditors with the full number while limiting publication of the social security number otherwise to the final four digits of the number to protect the debtor's identity from others who do not have the same need for that information. If, however, the social security number that the debtor submitted under Rule 1007(f) is incorrect, then the only notice to the entities contained on the list filed under Rule 1007(a)(1) or (a)(2) would be incorrect. This amendment adds a new subdivision (c) that directs the debtor to submit a verified amended statement of social security number and to give notice of the new statement to all entities in the case who received the notice containing the erroneous social security number.
*Subdivision (d).* Former subdivision (c) becomes subdivision (d) and is amended to include new subdivision (c) amendments in the list of documents that the clerk must transmit to the United States trustee.
Other amendments are stylistic.
*Changes Made After Publication.* No changes since publication.
Committee Notes on Rules—2008 Amendment
Subdivision (b) is amended to conform to the 2005 amendments to §521 of the Code.
*Changes Made After Publication*. No changes were made after publication.
Committee Notes on Rules—2024 Amendment
The language of Rule 1009 has been amended as part of the general restyling of the Bankruptcy Rules to make them more easily understood and to make style and terminology consistent throughout the rules. These changes are intended to be stylistic only.
By Antonio G. Jimenez, Esq. · Florida Bar No. 21022
Last reviewed July 27, 2026 · Sources verified July 27, 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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