how far ahead

[texas99]

how far ahead can you pay bills before bk, such as

rent?

health insurance?

car payment?

to use up current funds

[ameliabedilia]

You really can't pay any of those ahead without it being considered a preferential payment. I do think you can pay a car insurance premium in full (but not positive). Lots of people around here stock up at Walmart or Target, and some also buy gift cards at those stores. People also service their cars, get new tires, etc....

[magyar123]

how far ahead can you pay bills before bk, such as

rent?

health insurance?

car payment?

to use up current funds

Rent - you want a roof over your head - pay it.
Health insurance - pay it.
Car payment - if you don't have reliable public transportation to get from point A to point B, a bicycle, or cannot afford to rent a car, pay it.

[HHM]

Rent - you want a roof over your head - pay it.
Health insurance - pay it.
Car payment - if you don't have reliable public transportation to get from point A to point B, a bicycle, or cannot afford to rent a car, pay it.

The OP seems to be talking about "pre paying" or paying some of these charges in advance of their actual due date, presumably to eat up some cash.

Insurance is about the only one you can really get away with that since it's not uncommon to pay a premium for 6 months (often times, when you pay monthly, an additional fee is charged).

As for the rest...it's not advisable to pre-pay. Because strictly speaking, those funds are still "your" cash assets until the amount owed is due. For example, if your rent is $1,000 per month, and you prepay $4,000...$1,000 gets debited for the current months rent, the rest of the funds, $3,000 is held in trust until rent is due. From a BK perspective, it is no different than putting money in a savings account.

Car payment (assuming we are talking about a loan) is a little more tricky...as it will depend on the amount...also, depending on the level of your state's exemptions, if you prepay too much, you might create too much equity in the car. If the car payment is a lease, the same scenario for renting applies to a leased car.

Instead of "spending" your cash on hand, put it into exempt assets, like an IRA, or something.

[Keebler]

I've always opted for the Skip-a-Payment deals when they're offered because it costs nothing unless you actually use it. I let my due date ratchet ahead and I still make my payments. Done like this I can actually skip the payment whenever I want -- even next July.