Once your Chapter 13 Bankruptcy case has been filed in Portland, you must begin making plan payments within 30 days. Obviously, if you do not have an employer, you will need to make these payments and start mailing them on yourself. If you do have an employer, the Bankruptcy Court will send an order to the employer to begin forwarding the required payments from your wages on to the Trustee’s Bank in Memphis, Tennessee. This raised a timing issue.
Sometimes it takes a few weeks or more for the deduction to start taking effect so it is imperative that you track on whether they are being taken out or not.
We have included in the back of this book a number of address stickers for you to use to insure any payments you must make yourself reach the bank correctly.
If your employer for whatever reason does not deduct a payment, you need to make it directly to the Trustee until the paycheck deduction takes effect or is corrected. The amount of your payment may change, so be sure to check your individual plan so that you are prepared for any payment changes.
Some words of warning: If you are mailing a check to the Portland Chapter 13 Trustee’s bank, make sure that it is a money order or certified check. Personal checks will be rejected and you will consequently be behind on your Plan payments.
Because the Trustee is handling literally thousands of cases, each check must clearly identify your name, address and case number. If you obligated to send in a payment for something other than your monthly plan payment(a tax refund, bonus, etc. required under your plan) you will need to identify what the funds are for so that the check may be properly reflected in your account.
All direct payments should be made payable to Wayne Godare, Trustee and mailed to Wayne Godare, Trustee, POB 420, Memphis, TN 38101-0420
Please remember that The Trustee is not going to send you a monthly bill or reminder to your employer. The ultimate responsibility for getting your payments to the Trustee on time falls squarely upon your shoulders.
