Complete your application
You need to complete your application before you can book your court hearing.
You need to fill in these forms:
- Form 6.31: Statement of Affairs (Debtor's Petition). It must be witnessed by a solicitor
- Form 6.30: Debtor's bankruptcy petition
You can download the forms you need from the Northern Ireland Government website. You can complete your statement of affairs online.
Once you have filled in and submitted the form, you can print off an 'affidavit'. This is something you use to formally make a claim in court. You should take it to the court hearing with you.
The affidavit needs to be signed with a witness present. The duty solicitor at the court can do this for you.
The forms are also available at the High Court in Belfast. The area of the court you need to visit to get them is called the Bankruptcy and Chancery Division.
You can find more help and information online
Book your court hearing
When you have done your application forms, you should book your bankruptcy hearing. You can do this by calling the High Court in Belfast on 028 9076 3000.
Pay your bankruptcy costs
There is a £683 fee for bankruptcy. This is made up of:
Your bankruptcy deposit fee - £525
You will need to make this payment to the Department for the Economy before your court hearing.
If you are doing your application online, you can pay the deposit at the same time.
It can also be paid before going to court. You can do this at the Insolvency Services office in Belfast. Cheques should be made payable to the 'Official Receiver'.
Your court fee - £151
This can be paid by cash, postal order, or a cheque from a bank, building society, or solicitor. If you are paying by bank, building society, or solicitor cheque, you need to make this payable to the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service.
You cannot use a personal cheque to pay for this.
You will pay this when you attend your court hearing. The court will advise if you qualify for a reduction in this fee or if you don't have to pay it.
Your solicitor's fee - Expect to pay around £7
If paying by cheque, you need to make this payable to the solicitor who witnesses you completing Form 6.31.
Help paying your costs
You may be able to get the court fee reduced or waived. Waived just means you will not have to pay it.
To check if you can, read the leaflet called 'Do I have to pay fees?'.
You can find this on the Justice Northern Ireland webpage.
If you think the advice in the leaflet applies to you, fill in an ER1 form. This is also found on the webpage above.
The court will let you know if you can get the £151 fee reduced, or if you don't have to pay it.
Tell the people you owe money to that you are getting our help
Contact your creditors, give them your StepChange client reference number and tell them you are getting help from us.
They will usually stop their debt collection process while you think about your options.
It is quickest to give them a call. But if you prefer, you can email them or send a letter. There is a template letter in the 'Your next steps' section of your personal action plan to help you do this.
Attend your court hearing
You will need to take some things to your court hearing:
- One copy of your Form 6.30
- If you completed your application online, one copy of the blank affidavit
- If you completed paper forms, four copies of Form 6.31
- Proof of payments of your costs, of your method of payment