Chapter 13 — Centre County
Chapter 13 Bankruptcy in Centre County, PA
Reviewed by Sean P. Quinlan, Attorney
Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings for Centre County residents are handled by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Chapter 13 is a 3–5 year repayment plan that stops foreclosure, lets you cure mortgage arrears, and pays priority taxes over time while discharging remaining unsecured debt at the end.
What Chapter 13 does
Chapter 13 is the right choice when you're behind on a mortgage, have non-dischargeable tax debt, have too much equity for Chapter 7, or earn too much to pass the Chapter 7 means test. Your plan payment is built from disposable income plus any arrears, priority taxes, and secured catch-up.
For Centre County clients specifically, we run the Pennsylvania means test using current state median income figures, file electronically with the Middle District clerk, and the automatic stay stops every Centre County creditor the moment the case is filed.
Chapter 13 in Centre County: the local picture
Centre County sits in Central Pennsylvania, with Bellefonte as the county seat, and its cases are administered by the Williamsport Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
The local economy is dominated by Penn State University and Mount Nittany Medical Center. That shows up directly on the debt schedules I prepare here — a typical Centre County filing includes Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Federal Credit Union, and student-housing landlords.
Centre County's economy moves on the academic calendar — many filers are former Penn State graduate students or staff carrying private student-loan and credit-card debt. The pressure that most often pushes Centre County households into a Chapter 13 case is private student-loan balances and credit-card debt built up around graduate school.
In a Centre County Chapter 13 we build the plan around the arrears that actually exist here — mortgage catch-up on Centre County property, sheriff sales scheduled at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, county and school-district property taxes, and PA Department of Revenue claims.
Where Centre County Chapter 13 cases are filed
Centre County bankruptcy petitions are filed in the Williamsport Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Filing location:
Herman T. Schneebeli Federal Building
240 West Third Street, Suite 290
Williamsport, PA 17701
Clerk's office: (570) 320-5255
341 meeting of creditors: Held virtually by the Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 trustee assigned to your case — Centre County filers almost never appear in person at Williamsport.
The drive from Bellefonte to Williamsport is rarely necessary — petitions are filed electronically and the 341 meeting of creditors is held by video.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions
Chapter 13 plans in Centre County run 3–5 years. The automatic stay protects you from day one of the plan.
Held virtually by the Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 trustee assigned to your case — Centre County filers almost never appear in person at Williamsport. Cases from Centre County are administered out of the Williamsport Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Your plan payment is built from disposable income after allowed expenses, plus whatever must be paid in full: mortgage arrears on your Centre County property, vehicle catch-up, priority taxes, and the trustee's percentage. We model the payment before filing so you know the number rather than discovering it at confirmation.
Yes, if the case is filed before the sale takes place. A Chapter 13 filed ahead of a sale at the Centre County Courthouse stops it through the automatic stay and lets you cure the arrears over three to five years while making the regular mortgage payment going forward. Timing matters — the sooner we file, the more options remain.
County, municipal, and school-district property taxes and recent PA Department of Revenue or IRS claims are treated as priority or secured debt and paid through the plan rather than discharged. That converts a demand you cannot pay today into a fixed monthly amount, with penalties and collection frozen while the plan runs.
Plans are modifiable. Given how often local income here moves with private student-loan balances and credit-card debt built up around graduate school, we expect changes — if you lose hours or take a new job, we file a modified plan to adjust the payment. If the drop is permanent and severe, a hardship discharge or conversion to Chapter 7 may be the better route.
Related service areas
- York County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Cumberland County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Dauphin County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Franklin County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Lackawanna County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Luzerne County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Chapter 7 in Centre County
- Centre County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Chapter 13 Timeline: 341 Meeting, Trustee & Confirmation
- How Chapter 13 Repayment Plans Work
Service areas
Bankruptcy help in your Pennsylvania county
I file Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases in all 67 Pennsylvania counties. Start with your county or city below, or see every service area.
- Blair County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Fayette County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Northampton County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Bucks County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Beaver County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Erie County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Monroe County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Montgomery County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Lehigh County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Washington Bankruptcy Attorney
- Allenport Bankruptcy Attorney
- Allentown Bankruptcy Attorney
- Bethlehem Bankruptcy Attorney
- Mechanicsburg Bankruptcy Attorney
- Johnstown Bankruptcy Attorney
- Westmoreland County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Berks County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Lackawanna County Bankruptcy Attorney
- Philadelphia County Bankruptcy Attorney
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