When is the appropriate time for this....??

[inseriousdebt]

My husband and I are expecting our first child in July. We are currently are in a Chapter 13 paying $275 a month. We realize that with our new little baby..everything is going to change including expenses and daycare costs and that this 275/month will be completely gone. Whether this takes us into a Ch. 7 or not, we will not know till later.

My question is...... When is the appropriate time (for those who may have been in this boat before) to talk to our lawyer about what is to come?? We are very confused as to when to do this, and don't want to miss a payment in our Ch. 13 because of the overload of new expenses. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[lrprn]

My question is...... When is the appropriate time (for those who may have been in this boat before) to talk to our lawyer about what is to come?? We are very confused as to when to do this, and don't want to miss a payment in our Ch. 13 because of the overload of new expenses. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Congratulations on your growing family, ISD! Let your lawyer know now about the coming baby. With the hospital bills and increased living expenses that will come with your little bundle of joy, your living expenses will increase permanently. It will take a month or two to know how much extra the baby is going to add to your living expenses in order to see if it will be necessary to file a modified Ch 13 plan - you may even be able to convert to Ch 7.

Your lawyer will know how permanent life changes like this are typically handled in your district and how your Ch 13 trustee deals with situations like this. Keep us posted on what your lawyer says, ok?

[aa06a47]

Congratulations ISD... You will be able to change your family size on the means test and that may throw you into a chapter 7. If not, your expenses will definatly go higher and you should be able to reduce the payment. I'm sure your attorney will want some bucks to figure it all out, but I wouldn't wait too much longer to get the ball rolling.