Two Bankruptcy Courts. Same Chapter 13. Completely Different Local Rules. One Platform.
Every federal bankruptcy court has its own local rules for the same filing type. Here's how two representative courts diverge — and how the platform handles both through configuration alone.
CACB
Central District of California
NJB
District of New Jersey
What's Different Between Courts
Both courts handle Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings. But the local rules diverge sharply — division assignment, plan format, mandatory forms, and payment flow all differ.
One court uses county-based division assignment and accepts Chapter 13 plans as PDF-only uploads with a court-specific local form. Another auto-assigns divisions by ZIP code and supports both PDF upload and structured data entry for plan details — including duration, monthly payment, and step-payment schedules. These aren't edge cases. They're representative of the variation across all 90 federal bankruptcy courts.
Side-by-Side Comparison
How two bankruptcy courts handle the same Chapter 13 filing workflow.
| Capability | CACB | NJB |
|---|---|---|
| Division assignment | County-based division selection | Automatic ZIP code-based assignment |
| Chapter 13 plan | PDF-only plan submission | PDF upload plus structured data entry (duration, payment amounts, step-payment schedule) |
| Mandatory forms | SSN Declaration + Rights & Responsibilities Agreement | Credit Counseling Certificate + missing-documents checklist |
| Filing fee | Base fee plus per-creditor surcharge with minimum threshold | Flat filing fee — no per-creditor surcharge |
| Payment timing | Immediate payment redirect | Pay-now or pay-later with grace period |
| Skeletal filing | Allowed — completion window for remaining schedules | Not permitted — all schedules required at filing |
| Deficiency handling | Standard clerk review queue | Multi-item deficiency checklist (means test, schedules, statement of affairs, plan, counseling certificate, fee status) with automated docket notes |
Division assignment
County-based division selection
Automatic ZIP code-based assignment
Chapter 13 plan
PDF-only plan submission
PDF upload plus structured data entry (duration, payment amounts, step-payment schedule)
Mandatory forms
SSN Declaration + Rights & Responsibilities Agreement
Credit Counseling Certificate + missing-documents checklist
Filing fee
Base fee plus per-creditor surcharge with minimum threshold
Flat filing fee — no per-creditor surcharge
Payment timing
Immediate payment redirect
Pay-now or pay-later with grace period
Skeletal filing
Allowed — completion window for remaining schedules
Not permitted — all schedules required at filing
Deficiency handling
Standard clerk review queue
Multi-item deficiency checklist (means test, schedules, statement of affairs, plan, counseling certificate, fee status) with automated docket notes
Filing Wizard Walkthrough
Step through the Chapter 13 filing wizard. Each step adapts to the court's governed configuration.
Case Type Selection
Choose Chapter 13 Bankruptcy filing
Step 1 Screenshot
CACB vs NJB
Court & Division
Court-specific division assignment — county-based selection (CACB) vs. automatic ZIP code lookup (NJB)
Step 2 Screenshot
CACB vs NJB
Party Information
Debtor and attorney details entry
Step 3 Screenshot
CACB vs NJB
Chapter 13 Plan
PDF-only plan upload (CACB) vs. PDF plus structured data entry with step-payment schedule (NJB)
Step 4 Screenshot
CACB vs NJB
Mandatory Forms
SSN Declaration + Rights & Responsibilities (CACB) vs. Credit Counseling + missing-documents checklist (NJB)
Step 5 Screenshot
CACB vs NJB
Skeletal Filing Check
CACB allows skeletal filing with a completion window; NJB requires all schedules at filing
Step 6 Screenshot
CACB vs NJB
Fee Assessment
Base fee plus per-creditor surcharge (CACB) vs. flat fee with pay-later option (NJB)
Step 7 Screenshot
CACB vs NJB
Review & Submit
Final validation against court-specific rules — automated deficiency checklist generated where required
Step 8 Screenshot
CACB vs NJB
Clerk QC
Post-submission quality control workbench with court-specific deficiency tracking
Step 9 Screenshot
CACB vs NJB
Configuration, Not Code
Every behavioral difference shown above is driven by governed configuration — not code branches.
Division logic, plan format requirements, mandatory forms, fee schedules, and payment workflows are all expressed as configuration. When a court changes its local rules, the platform adapts without a code release.
See Bankruptcy Configuration in Action
Walk through a live demo of Chapter 13 filing with your court's local rules rendered as governed configuration.