It is understandable and natural that many people considering Bankruptcy are worried about who may find out about the filing.  After the case is filed, notices are sent to creditors and other interested parties in the case, such as a landlord.  Unless the person is a public figure, such as a celebrity or politician, the details of a Bankruptcy case are generally not reported to the public.  While Bankruptcy Court records, like virtually all court records, are available to the public, very few people have a reason to research these records unless they have a business reason to do so.  In order to search for records online, the person searching must set up an account and pay fees.  It is unlikely your friends, co-workers or business associates are doing these searches to see who has filed for Bankruptcy.  If you are reading this, chances are very good that you know a few people who have filed, and your opinion of them (hopefully) would not change if you knew it.

It is possible that employers find out about the case.  If a Chapter 13 case is filed, plan payments are normally deducted from paychecks and sent to the Chapter 13 Trustee by your employer.  Even relatively small businesses are used to processing these deductions, whether from Bankruptcy or other court orders, and it should not be a problem for you.  The overwhelming majority of employers are very respectful of their employees’ personal matters and do not discuss it with others in the company.  As discussed in this post, employers are prohibited by law from terminating your employment or discriminating against you merely because you filed a Bankruptcy case.

Although we are all concerned about our reputations and want to maintain privacy with our personal affairs, it is more important to take the necessary steps to properly handle your finances.  This is how your employer would want you to handle your responsibilities at work.