What Chapter 7 does
Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code (11 U.S.C. §§ 701–784) provides for the liquidation of a debtor's non-exempt assets by a court-appointed trustee, with proceeds distributed to creditors in the priority order set by 11 U.S.C. § 726. An honest individual debtor receives a discharge under 11 U.S.C. § 727 of most pre-petition debts, subject to the exceptions in 11 U.S.C. § 523.
Typical case length
For a no-asset individual case, the typical timeline from petition to discharge is approximately 3–4 months. Asset cases run longer because the trustee must liquidate property and complete distributions before final report.
| Milestone | Timing | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Petition filed | Day 0 | 11 U.S.C. § 301 |
| Schedules & statements due | Day 14 | Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1007(c) |
| 341 meeting of creditors | ~Day 21–40 | 11 U.S.C. § 341; Fed. R. Bankr. P. 2003(a) |
| Deadline to object to discharge / dischargeability | 60 days after 341 date | Fed. R. Bankr. P. 4004(a), 4007(c) |
| Discharge entered (no-asset case) | ~Day 90–120 | 11 U.S.C. § 727 |
Panel-trustee structure (USTP Region 13)
Chapter 7 cases in the Western District of Missouri are administered by panel trustees appointed from the U.S. Trustee Program panel for Region 13 (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota). Each new Chapter 7 case is assigned to a panel trustee at filing.
USTP Region 13 office
Region 13 maintains separate panel trustee rosters by city/division. The Kansas City and Springfield divisional offices each have their own panel.
The trustee's statutory duties are set out in 11 U.S.C. § 704 — collecting and reducing to money the property of the estate, examining proofs of claim, and filing a final report.
341 meeting of creditors — venue and format
The meeting of creditors required by 11 U.S.C. § 341 is conducted by the panel trustee, not a judge. In the Western District of Missouri, 341 meetings are typically held in the trustee's assigned format — many trustees in Region 13 conduct meetings by telephone or videoconference under standing arrangements that the U.S. Trustee Program maintains nationally for Chapter 7 cases. The notice of commencement (Form B 309) issued by the clerk after filing specifies the date, time, and dial-in or platform information.
The debtor must appear, be sworn, and answer the trustee's questions about the petition, schedules, statement of financial affairs, and means test. Creditors may attend but typically do not.
Means test and abuse presumption
Individual consumer Chapter 7 debtors must complete the means test on Official Form B 122A. If household income exceeds the Missouri median for the household size, additional calculations on Form B 122A-2 determine whether a presumption of abuse arises under 11 U.S.C. § 707(b). See the means-test reference for current Missouri median-income figures and IRS expense standards.
Discharge and exceptions
If no objection is filed within 60 days after the 341 meeting date, and the debtor has completed the post-filing personal financial management course (11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(11); Official Form B 423), the court enters a discharge order. The discharge eliminates personal liability on most pre-petition unsecured debts. Categories that survive discharge are listed in 11 U.S.C. § 523 and on the nondischargeable debts reference.
Other reference pages on this site
Filing · Local rules · Forms · Chapter 13 · Chapter 11 / Sub V · Exemptions · Means test · Credit counseling · Pro se · Judges · Trustees