Payment Methods

All debtors in Chapter 13 are required to start making payments 30 days after their petition has been filed. Failure to make a payment within 30 days will result in a motion to dismiss your case.

The Trustee accepts payments in four different ways, however, you cannot use option 4 until your plan has been confirmed by the bankruptcy court.

 

1. By mail

You can mail a cashier’s check or money order with your name and case number legibly printed on the payment to:

Julie Philippi
Chapter 13 Trustee
PO Box 613439
Memphis, TN 38101-3439

This address is a lock box and is for payments only. Personal checks, including bill pay checks sent from a bank, are not accepted. Payments cannot be mailed to the office nor can they be brought to the office. The payment should be made payable to “Julie Philippi, Chapter 13 Trustee.”

2. Online

You can make payments online through Nationwide TFS at www.tfsbillpay.com.  You will need to register for an account.  Be aware that a payment made through TFS will take a minimum of 5 business days to reach the Trustee. 

Nationwide TFS is a private company that is not affiliated in any way with the court or the Trustee.  Neither the court nor the Trustee share in any fees paid to TFS.  Any fees paid to TFS are in addition to your plan payment.

If your payment changes, you will need to update TFS yourself; it will not happen automatically.

 

3. Payroll Deduction

If you select this option in the plan, the Trustee will immediately obtain an order from the court requiring your employer to withhold the funds from your paycheck and send the money to the Trustee. You can also request this option at any time during your plan.  A form for requesting this option can be accessed here. You are responsible for making the payments until the payroll deduction order starts.

4. ACH

Once your plan has been confirmed by the bankruptcy court, you can submit an ACH Authorization Form authorizing the Trustee to pull the plan payment directly from your bank account. There is no cost to you. The form must be received by the Trustee before the 10th of the month to start that month. The payment is pulled on or after the 20th of each month.