In 2005 the Bankruptcy Law changed significantly.  This is because Congress, at the behest of the credit card companies and their supporting politicians, instituted a “means test”  in order to qualify for Chapter 7, by far the most common type of bankruptcy, which gives successful filers a total fresh start, debt free.  Under the means test, an annual income amount is set, and you must be under this number to qualify for a Chapter 7, unless you can pass using what I call the second stage of them means test, which usually requires some sort of extraordinary expense(s) in order for you to defeat the means test and still get a discharge.  The means test amount depends on how many people live in your household and is constantly updated.  Right now in Connecticut it is $62814 for single, $82253 for two, $96608 for three and $117334 for four.  Yes, those figures seem high but that’s because they are based on mean income for the State where you reside, and Connecticut has a very high mean income.  So if you think you don’t qualify, feel free to give Attorney Mark O. Grater a call at 860-449-8059 in Groton, New London County and set up a free consult.  Even if you at first don’t qualify by the numbers, you might be able to still get a fresh start by using the second stage.