Bankruptcy is a lawful way to help get out of debt. There are different types of bankruptcy that you can file. For the everyday person, chapter 7 or chapter 13 bankruptcy can be filed. Depending on your debt and your income, you may qualify for chapter 7 or chapter 13. Chapter 7 is typically for someone that doesn't have any money at all to pay back their debts, and their debts are usually fairly low.
