Debtor Education Bankruptcy Disclosures
You must read and acknowledge the following disclosures before you can register for the debtor education course.
Take Charge America (TCA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing confidential credit counseling and personal financial education to consumers.
Counselor Qualifications. All TCA counselors obtain and maintain financial counseling certification through the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC). Although a counselor may answer general questions about personal financial education and bankruptcy, TCA does not provide legal or tax advice. If legal or tax advice is needed, you should seek the appropriate assistance from a qualified attorney or tax professional.
Languages. TCA provides the debtor education course in English and Spanish. If you need services in another language, please refer to the approved list of debtor education providers for your judicial district.
Certificate of Completion. TCA has an obligation to provide an appropriate Certificate of Completion promptly to each individual or joint filer no later than three (3) business days after completing the debtor education course. The certificate will only be issued if you complete the debtor education course. If you should lose or misplace the certificate, we will resend the certificate at your request for no charge.
Fee Policy. The fee for the online debtor education course is $50 for an individual or a joint session. There are no additional fees for generation of the certificate. Once you agree to these Debtor Education Bankruptcy Disclosures, you will be provided with instructions on how to make your payment.
You may be eligible for a fee waiver upon written verification of your lack of ability to pay. A fee waiver will be provided if your household income is less than 150% of the poverty guidelines for your state and family size as provided and updated periodically by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To receive a fee waiver, you must provide proof of your household’s monthly gross income or a letter from your attorney stating that your bankruptcy filing services are being provided pro bono. Acceptable documents that can be used as proof of income include your most recent tax return or W2s, three most recent pay stubs, unemployment certificate, a statement of benefits obtained from the government or Social Security Administration, or leave and earnings statement from the military. Please contact us at 866-750-9634 for instructions on how to submit your fee waiver request.
We will notify you of our decision regarding your fee waiver request within two business days via email or by your preferred method.
Customer Privacy. Protecting your personal information is important to us.All client information is held in strict confidence by TCA in compliance with the Gramm-Leach–Bliley Privacy Act. However, there are certain circumstances where we may share information we receive from you, without personally identifying you, for research purposes. In addition, we may share information about you as authorized by you or permitted by law or with authorized agencies with legitimate authority to monitor our practices. One such agency is the United States Trustee, which has oversight of TCA’s debtor education services. Your information may be disclosed to the United States Trustee in the ordinary course of this oversight or during the investigation of complaints, during on-site visits, or during quality of service reviews. In addition, calls may be monitored or recorded. TCA’s privacy policy is available at TakeChargeAmerica.org.
Referrals. TCA does not pay or receive referral fees for the referral of clients, except under a fair share agreement.
US Trustee Review: The United States Trustee has reviewed only TCA’s credit counseling services and its services as a provider of a personal financial management instructional course and has neither reviewed nor approved any other services TCA provides to clients.