Filing for bankruptcy is a difficult decision that must be carefully weighed and considered. The ability to file for bankruptcy is found under federal law and is codified in the United State Bankruptcy Code.

If you are considering filing for bankruptcy, you'll likely want to meet with a qualified attorney to go over all your options and understand the lasting consequences of that decision. Before meeting with your lawyer, there are a number of documents you'll want to have ready and available. Your bankruptcy attorney will ask you to provide these documents to assist in making the determination of whether to file for bankruptcy, and what type of bankruptcy to file.

Documents

Your company's current financial statements, including:

• Balance sheets,
• Profit and loss statements,
• Cash flow statements, and
• Projections.

• A list of all of your creditors, including the name, address, city, state, zip code, contact person, account number and amount owed.
  • For your twenty largest unsecured creditors, also include a telephone number.
  • For your secured creditors, list the property pledged as collateral (security) for the loan and the value of the collateral.

• If your business is a corporation, a list of stockholders or shareholders, including the name, address, city, state, zip code, telephone number, number and percentage of shares owned, and the total amount of stock issued.

• A list of the names and titles of the persons authorized to sign documents for your company.

• If applicable, copies of your company's incorporation, partnership, or limited partnership documents.

• A list of employees, including name, address, city, state, zip code, amount owed outright for wages, and amount owed as an expense reimbursement.

• Copies of any court documents that your company has received in the last twelve months.

• Copies of any federal or state tax liens that your company has received.

• Copies of any other correspondence that your company has received from the Internal Revenue Service or state taxing authority.

• If applicable, for any real property owned by your company, the
  • Legal description
  • Market value
  • Balance of any mortgage(s) against the property.

• If applicable, the name and address of your landlord and a copy of your company's real property lease(s).

• If applicable, copies of all leases for vehicles, equipment, computers, telephones, etc.

• A list of all personal property (such as office furniture, equipment, computers, telephones, machinery, art, vehicles, boats, aircraft) that your company owns, the value of the property, the amount owed on the property and the creditor to whom it is owed.

• Copies of all:
  • Notes,
  • Mortgages,
  • Security agreements,
  • Loan agreements, and
  • U.C.C.-financing statements.

• A detailed month-by-month listing of your company's cash flow needs for the next three months.

• Copies of your company's federal and state tax returns for the last three years.

Next Steps

Now that you have an overview of all the paperwork you will need to have ready, reach out to a qualified bankruptcy attorney in your area. Your attorney can help you deal with creditors, understand bankruptcy court proceedings, and more.