I sat in a courtroom last week and watched dozens of  Chapter 13 cases get dismissed, often because the debtor had not taken seriously the requirement that all their tax returns be filed within 45 days of the commencement of the case.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that  folks who didn’t take filing tax returns seriously in the first place continue to blow it off when bankruptcy is filed.  But filing returns is mandatory and dismissal automatic under the provisions of bankruptcy reform.

What debtors need to understand is that bankruptcy is a benefit and to get the benefit, you need to play by the rules on the timeline created by the Bankruptcy Code.