The bankruptcy schedules are the heart of a petition. They are where the debtor's property, debts, income, and expenses are laid out in detail, under penalty of perjury. For a bankruptcy petition preparer or virtual bankruptcy assistant (VBA), understanding what each schedule asks for, and how the schedules connect, is the difference between a clean draft and a petition full of corrections. This guide walks through the bankruptcy schedules one by one using the current Official Form names, and points out the mistakes that come up most often. For the full drafting process, see How to Draft a Bankruptcy Petition.
How the bankruptcy schedules fit together
Think of the schedules in three groups:
- What the debtor owns: Schedule A/B (property) and Schedule C (exemptions)
- What the debtor owes: Schedule D (secured claims), Schedule E/F (unsecured claims), Schedule G (contracts and leases), and Schedule H (codebtors)
- What comes in and goes out: Schedule I (income) and Schedule J (expenses)
A summary form and a declaration under penalty of perjury tie them together. Everything has to agree: a car loan on Schedule D must match the car on Schedule A/B; a payment on Schedule J should match a creditor somewhere above. When something doesn't match, the trustee notices.
Schedule A/B: Property (Official Form 106A/B)
This schedule lists everything the debtor owns or has an interest in, in categories: real estate, vehicles, personal and household items, financial assets (bank accounts, retirement accounts, investments), business-related property, farm property, and other items such as claims and expected refunds.
- List the debtor's share. For jointly owned property, report the portion the debtor owns.
- Use sourced values. See How to Value Property on a Bankruptcy Petition.
- Don't forget the small and the strange: deposits, expected refunds, claims against others, digital accounts. See Hidden Assets and Forgotten Debts.
- Special items: 401(k) accounts, jewelry, cell phones, and payment-app balances.
Schedule C: The Property You Claim as Exempt (Official Form 106C)
Schedule C identifies which property the debtor claims is protected (“exempt”) from the trustee, and under which law. Exemptions come from federal and state law, and the rules about which set is available depend on where the debtor lives. The attorney chooses and claims the exemptions. Your job is to carry the facts accurately: the property, its value, the debts secured by it, and the information the attorney needs to decide. Read A Quick Lesson in Bankruptcy Exemption Allowances, Exemption Check: Saving Time on Your Petition, and Tips for Non-Attorneys Drafting Schedule C.
Schedule D: Creditors Who Have Claims Secured by Property (Official Form 106D)
Schedule D lists creditors who hold a lien or security interest, such as a mortgage, car loan, or a judgment lien on property. For each, you list the creditor, the amount of the claim, the value of the collateral, and the date and nature of the lien.
- Every Schedule D creditor should connect to an asset on Schedule A/B.
- Look for second mortgages, home-equity loans, tax liens, and judgment liens that the debtor forgot. County records help.
- Mortgage arrears and the total claim matter, especially in Chapter 13.
Schedule E/F: Creditors Who Have Unsecured Claims (Official Form 106E/F)
Schedule E/F has two parts. Part 1 lists creditors with priority unsecured claims, which the law pays ahead of other unsecured debts: certain taxes, domestic support obligations, and some unpaid wages. Part 2 lists nonpriority unsecured claims: credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, collection accounts, and most student loans.
- Which category a debt falls into is a legal judgment. Gather the facts and flag questions for the attorney. See Student Loans and Priority Debts on Bankruptcy Schedules.
- List every creditor and collector, with the address where notices should go, including the original creditor and any collection agency.
- Use the credit report, but don't stop there. Compare it with the bills and letters the debtor brings in.
Schedule G: Executory Contracts and Unexpired Leases (Official Form 106G)
This is where leases and ongoing contracts go: an apartment lease, a vehicle lease, a cell phone contract, a timeshare, a gym membership. These are easy to leave out because they don't feel like debts. Ask about every ongoing agreement the debtor has signed.
Schedule H: Codebtors (Official Form 106H)
Schedule H lists anyone else who is also responsible for a debt the debtor owes (a co-signer, an ex-spouse, a joint account holder), and in certain states, a spouse who is not filing. It matters because the codebtor may remain on the hook after the debtor's case. Ask about co-signed debts directly: “Did anyone sign on any of these loans with you, or did you sign for someone else?”
Schedule I: Your Income (Official Form 106I)
Schedule I reports the debtor's current monthly income from employment, self-employment, benefits, support, and other sources, along with payroll deductions, and for a joint filing, both spouses. Gross income, deductions, and net income all need to come from documents: pay stubs, profit-and-loss statements, benefit letters. It also asks whether the debtor expects income to increase or decrease within the year. Don't confuse it with the means test, which uses a different income calculation. See Current Monthly Income vs. Schedule I Income.
Schedule J: Your Expenses (Official Form 106J)
Schedule J lists the household's actual monthly expenses. The difference between Schedule I and Schedule J is the debtor's monthly net income, which matters especially in Chapter 13. Use our checklist: Is Your Client's Budget Believable? For debtors with two households, see How to Report Expenses for Debtors with Separate Households.
The Summary and the Declaration
The Summary of Your Assets and Liabilities (Official Form 106Sum) totals the figures from the schedules automatically in good petition software. Check it against the schedules anyway: a summary that doesn't match is a red flag. The Declaration About an Individual Debtor's Schedules (Official Form 106Dec) is the debtor's signature page, declaring under penalty of perjury that the schedules are true and correct.
The mistakes that come up most
- A creditor on Schedule D with no matching asset on Schedule A/B (or the reverse).
- Values that don't match across forms. The same car should carry the same value everywhere.
- Missing codebtors and co-signed debts.
- Income on Schedule I that doesn't match the pay stubs.
- A Schedule J that doesn't fit the household.
- Leases and contracts left off Schedule G.
- Debts to relatives or friends left off.
- Unflagged questions. Anything you weren't sure about should be in a note to the attorney.
Do your own cross-check
Before you send a draft to the attorney, trace each number across the forms: every secured creditor to an asset; every asset value to a source; every income figure to a document; every expense to a household member. A bankruptcy petition review is a good safety net for this kind of cross-check, especially while you are learning.
See every form and schedule demonstrated, step by step. The Chapter 7 & 13 training and certification system includes hands-on training videos, a workbook, and 130+ filed petitions to study through the 130+ Bankruptcy Petition Training Collection. Prefer a free introduction? Start with the petition preparer training guide.
Frequently asked questions
Are the schedules the same in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13?
Yes, the same schedules are used. Chapter 13 adds a plan and different income and expense forms for the calculation of the plan.
Do I need to know the older schedule letters (A through J)?
Many people still use “Schedule A through J” as shorthand. The current Official Forms combine some of the older schedules (for example, A and B became A/B, and E and F became E/F), but the content is familiar.
Who decides how to classify a debt or exempt an asset?
The attorney. You gather accurate facts and flag questions.
This article is general education for bankruptcy professionals, not legal advice. Form names, numbers, and instructions are updated from time to time, so use the current Official Forms and the supervising attorney's guidance. Questions about our courses? See the FAQ.