{"id":37305,"date":"2022-12-19T09:24:29","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T17:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/?p=37305"},"modified":"2022-12-19T09:24:29","modified_gmt":"2022-12-19T17:24:29","slug":"faqs-about-debtor-audit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/faqs-about-debtor-audit\/","title":{"rendered":"FAQs About Debtor Audit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Bankruptcy is a fantastic tool that provides individuals a <a href=\"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/bankruptcy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">second chance<\/a> to rebuild their lives after enduring financial difficulties. However, some seek to abuse the bankruptcy system or commit deception to receive bankruptcy benefits. There are ways to discourage these types of activity, and one of those is through a random audit.<\/p>\n<p>On December 12, 2022, it was announced that USTP would resume designating cases for audit. You may be wondering what this means for you. We\u2019ve compiled some questions you may have and addressed them in this post.<\/p>\n<p>If you have any questions about the bankruptcy process, Michael D. O&#8217;Brien &amp; Associates, P.C. has you covered! Feel free to call our Portland bankruptcy law firm to learn more.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_Debtor_Audit\"><\/span>What is the Debtor Audit?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6629db2f163b1\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6629db2f163b1\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/faqs-about-debtor-audit\/#What_is_the_Debtor_Audit\" title=\"What is the Debtor Audit?\">What is the Debtor Audit?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/faqs-about-debtor-audit\/#What_is_the_Debtor_Audit_For\" title=\"What is the Debtor Audit For?\">What is the Debtor Audit For?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/faqs-about-debtor-audit\/#Whats_Next_for_Debtor_Audits\" title=\"What\u2019s Next for Debtor Audits?\">What\u2019s Next for Debtor Audits?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/faqs-about-debtor-audit\/#Do_I_Need_to_Comply_with_the_Audit\" title=\"Do I Need to Comply with the Audit?\">Do I Need to Comply with the Audit?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/faqs-about-debtor-audit\/#What_Do_I_Do_About_this_Audit\" title=\"What Do I Do About this Audit?\">What Do I Do About this Audit?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/faqs-about-debtor-audit\/#Where_Can_I_Find_an_Attorney_to_Help_Me\" title=\"Where Can I Find an Attorney to Help Me?\">Where Can I Find an Attorney to Help Me?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>According to the Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, the USTP (US Trustee Program) can hire independent firms to audit Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases. The USTP designates a percentage of cases for each judicial district to be audited. That means they will get some bankruptcy cases to check whether it was filed correctly and truthfully.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_Debtor_Audit_For\"><\/span>What is the Debtor Audit For?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s designed to \u201cdetermine the accuracy, veracity, and completeness\u201d of everything you\u2019ve submitted to the bankruptcy court. This includes schedules, petitions, and other such information.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, the independent firms will confirm that you did everything correctly, didn\u2019t lie in your forms, and did not miss any submissions.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_Next_for_Debtor_Audits\"><\/span>What\u2019s Next for Debtor Audits?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>On March 13, 2023, the USTP will continue designating Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases to be audited. Previously, this activity was discontinued in 2020 due to health concerns related to COVID-19.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_I_Need_to_Comply_with_the_Audit\"><\/span>Do I Need to Comply with the Audit?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The website of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/ust\/debtor-audit-information\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">US Department of Justice<\/a> states that debtors must cooperate with the audit.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Do_I_Do_About_this_Audit\"><\/span>What Do I Do About this Audit?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There is no way to avoid an audit if your case has been randomly assigned for audit. The best thing to do is to ensure that your petition is correct, true, and complete. Hiring a competent bankruptcy attorney is crucial to ensure your case goes through. If your case gets rejected because of the audit, not only will you have failed to eliminate your debt, you may be suspected of committing fraud.<\/p>\n<p>A knowledgeable attorney can prevent this situation by using their extensive legal experience to avoid common mistakes and ensure your documents are complete.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_Can_I_Find_an_Attorney_to_Help_Me\"><\/span>Where Can I Find an Attorney to Help Me?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you live in Oregon, your best bet is to consult Michael D. O&#8217;Brien &amp; Associates, P.C. Our law firm serves the different communities of Oregon, including Portland, Tigard, Bend, and <a href=\"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/clackamas-bankruptcy-attorney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Clackamas<\/a>, among others! We\u2019re dedicated to understanding your goals and crafting strategies that achieve them while minimizing risks.<\/p>\n<p>If you don\u2019t want issues with your bankruptcy petition, consult our <a href=\"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oregon bankruptcy attorneys<\/a> today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bankruptcy is a fantastic tool that provides individuals a second chance to rebuild their lives after enduring financial difficulties. However, some seek to abuse the bankruptcy system or commit deception to receive bankruptcy benefits. There are ways to discourage these types of activity, and one of those is through a random audit. On December 12, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,5,29],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37305"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37305"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37306,"href":"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37305\/revisions\/37306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pdxlegal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}