What dismissal means
A dismissed case ends without a discharge. The debts are still owed, the automatic stay lifts, and creditors can go back to collecting. The filing fee isn't refunded, and the case still appears on a credit report.
Most dismissals have nothing to do with whether the person qualified for bankruptcy. They come from a missed deadline or a missing piece of paper. The rules behind each one are below, as of October 2026.
The reasons that apply to every case
- No credit counseling certificate. The course has to be finished within the 180 days before filing. A case filed without it is dismissed, apart from a few narrow exceptions for emergencies, disability, and military duty in a combat zone.
- Missing schedules and statements. Whatever wasn't filed with the petition is due within 14 days. If the required documents still aren't on file 45 days after filing, the law dismisses the case automatically on day 46.
- An unpaid filing fee. A missed installment is grounds for dismissal in both chapters.
- Missing the 341 meeting. Trustees usually reschedule a missed meeting once. A second miss leads to a motion to dismiss.
- No tax return to the trustee. The most recent federal return is due seven days before the meeting. The law tells the court to dismiss when it isn't provided, unless the reason was outside the filer's control.
Chapter 7
Chapter 7 has one more: the Means Test. When the numbers show enough income to fund a repayment plan, the U.S. Trustee can ask the court to dismiss the case as an abuse of Chapter 7. The filer can agree to convert it to Chapter 13 instead.
Chapter 13
Chapter 13 cases run for years, so there are more ways for one to end early:
- Missed plan payments. The first one is due within 30 days of filing, before the plan is approved, and they continue every month for three to five years.
- No plan, or a plan the judge won't confirm. The plan is due within 14 days. If it's rejected and no workable replacement follows, the case is dismissed.
- Unfiled tax returns. Returns for the four tax years before filing have to be filed with the IRS.
- Falling behind on support. Child support and alimony that come due after filing have to stay current.
Two outcomes that aren't dismissal
Closed without a discharge. A case with no debtor education certificate on file gets closed, with no discharge entered. The case can be reopened to file the certificate, and the court charges a fee to reopen it.
Discharge denied. This one is serious and rare. A court denies a discharge for dishonesty in the case: hiding property, lying on the forms, destroying records. The debts from that case can't be discharged in a later one.
The court gives notice first
Dismissals rarely come without warning. When something is missing, the clerk sends a deficiency notice that names the document and the date it's due. When a trustee or creditor asks for dismissal, the filer gets a copy of the motion and a chance to respond or a hearing date. Court mail goes to the address on the petition.
Filing again after a dismissal
A dismissed case usually doesn't prevent a new one. It does change how the automatic stay works:
- One case dismissed in the past year: the stay in the new case ends after 30 days unless the court extends it.
- Two or more dismissed in the past year: the stay doesn't start at all unless the court orders it.
There's also a 180-day bar on refiling in two situations: when the earlier case was dismissed for willfully ignoring a court order or failing to appear, and when the filer asked for dismissal after a creditor had asked the court to lift the stay.
Deadlines are set per case: the notice the court sends after filing lists the real dates for your case. Those dates control over the general rules described here.
For each deadline in order, see The filing process, step by step.