The recession hit Inglewood hard, affecting property values and job markets. It is now on the mend with the rest of the country, but many people who live and work in Inglewood continue to experience difficulties with their finances and the job market. An experienced Inglewood bankruptcy attorney can help you figure out whether bankruptcy is an appropriate measure for you, and file on your behalf.

If you are unemployed, Chapter 7 bankruptcy may be a better choice than Chapter 13 bankruptcy. With Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you need to commit to debt repayment. This can be very hard or impossible if you do not have a full time job or have only a limited social security income. Chapter 7 bankruptcy laws were written to give debtors a fresh start. In order to file for Chapter 7, you need to take a means test, which evaluates whether your income is sufficiently low to file for Chapter 7.

If you qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in California, there are two state exemption systems you can choose from to protect certain property and assets. Protection is limited to bare necessities. However, you can select the system based on the types of property you own. If you have significant equity in your home, you may be better off with System 1, whereas if you have more liquidity or valuable personal items, you may want to choose System 2.

It can be difficult to get some kinds of jobs without a car. One concern that unemployed people have about filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy is whether they will get to keep their car. If you select the right system, you may be able to exempt your vehicle during Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings.

Motor Vehicle Exemption

Whether you can keep your vehicle or not depends upon the amount of the motor vehicle exemption in the system you’ve chosen. The equity in your car must be less than California’s car exemption in order for you to keep it. If the car’s value exceeds the exemption by a significant amount, the trustee responsible for administering your bankruptcy estate may sell it to pay back your creditors.

If you select Exemption System 1, you can exempt up to $2,725 of equity in your car whereas if you select Exemption System 2, you can exempt up to $4,800 in car equity. Assuming you select System 2, you also have a wildcard exemption, which allows you to exempt $25,340.00 of any property including your car. This can be useful if your car’s equity exceeds $4,800 and there are no other assets you need to protect.

You should be aware that in California, you may not double your motor vehicle exemption as a married couple under either system. However, if you have multiple vehicles that have equity within the allotted exemption amount, you may be able to protect more than one car.

Claiming exemptions can be time-consuming and painstaking work. An attorney with bankruptcy experience can help make sure that you protect the property that is truly valuable to you so that you may start over with the basic necessities and a clean slate once your debts are discharged. Contact the experienced Inglewood bankruptcy lawyer Devin Sawdayi at 310-475-9399 or via our online form for help with this process.