Tax refunds present a couple of interesting points in a Bankruptcy filing.  This post is concerned with Chapter 7 filings.  Chapter 13 is a little bit different for a couple of reasons.  This is also rooted in Oklahoma law, and although the theory remains the same, the results can be very different in other States. 

When talking about tax refunds with my clients, the first thing I have to do is figure out exactly what we are talking about.  I long ago stopped asking my clients and just started looking at their most recent returns.  Clients tend to refer to that check they receive from the IRS (or electronic credit) as their tax refund, although in many cases, it is all kinds of other things.  A tax refund is literally the refund of money that the tax payer overpaid to the IRS during the course of the year.  Various tax credits are paid along with the refund, but they are money given, or credited, to the tax payer by the Government.  Some common tax credits are Earned Income Credit, Child Care Credit and recently the Making Work Pay Credit.  Those are not a tax refund, those are tax credits.  At this point my clients are generally rolling their eyes and muttering, “Whatever” under their breath thinking I can’t hear them.  Then, I get their attention.

You see, tax refunds are not exempt in Oklahoma.  That means that any tax refund that has accrued to a debtor at the time he files for bankruptcy becomes property of his bankruptcy estate — meaning his Bankruptcy Trustee gets the money, and the debtor doesn’t.  Earned Income Credit, however, is exempt; and the Debtor gets to keep that money.  It is about this point that eyes stop rolling and clients’ posture visibly improves. 

Let me explain.  A Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is a deal.  The Debtor agrees that if he has any non-exempt property that the Trustee wants to administer for the benefit of his creditors, the Debtor will put it on the front porch with a red bow on it for the Trustee to come get — and BE HAPPY ABOUT IT.  In exchange, the Debtor gets a discharge — meaning he gets out of the debt that brought him to my office in the first place.  If that deal isn’t worth doing, then don’t file a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy.  Now, in most cases my clients lose no property, because the list of property that you get to keep in Oklahoma (exempt property) is really very generous.  Most people who file in Oklahoma lose nothing but a whole bunch of ugly debt they didn’t want in the first place, but the most commonly lost asset in Oklahoma is a tax refund — because tax refunds are not exempt.  Earned Income Credit, however, is exempt; and so the Debtor gets to keep that.  Ah, yes, focused attention. 

Now, I am posting this in April — tax time; but this is a relevant topic all year.  Here’s why.  Any time a bankruptcy is filed, the Debtor creates what is called a Bankruptcy Estate, and he gives to that Estate everything he owns and everything he owes.  Then, the Debtor takes back all property that he is claiming as exempt.  The goal is to leave as much debt as possible trapped in the Bankruptcy Estate and as little property as possible.  The Debtor can take back his Earned Income Credit.  He cannot take back his overpaid taxes, those are trapped in his estate and belong to his Trustee to pay to his Creditors. 

Notice, that last sentence refers to overpaid taxes, not specifically to a tax refund.  That is why this is an issue that is relevant all year.  Let’s assume that a client is expecting a $4,800 tax refund.  That means he has overpaid his taxes at the rate of $400 a month ($400 x 12 = $4,800).  If he files for Bankruptcy on January 1, he will have overpaid to the IRS the whole $4,800.  Now, he probably can’t file his taxes and claim it for at least another month or two; but he is owed that money even though he doesn’t have it yet.  His right to that money passes into his estate the instant he files his Bankruptcy.  That means when he does file his tax return, that entire refund will belong to his Trustee for the benefit of his creditors — all $4,800 of it.  Ouch. 

Now, let’s assume that this same person files on July 1 rather than January 1.  At that point he will have overpaid his taxes by $2,400 (January – June = 6 months x $400 = $2,400).  Even though he can’t claim that money for another seven or eight months, he is entitled to it.  Think of this as a savings account that you could only withdraw from after the first of the year.  You still are entitled to the money you deposit, you just might have to wait a while to get it.  Well, your Trustee can wait a while too.  So, in this set of facts, if the Debtor files for Bankruptcy July 1 and gets a $4,800 tax refund the following February or March, he will be entitled to keep the excess, or refund, that he paid in after he filed his Bankruptcy on July 1.  The Trustee will be entitled to the excess paid in before July 1. However, to the extent that refund is Earned Income Credit rather than tax refund, the Debtor gets to keep it all, regardless of when he filed.

This illustrates several significant concepts central to the Bankruptcy system:  1.The nature of the Bankruptcy Estate; 2. The inclusion in the Estate of accrued interests in property; 3. The difference between exempt and non-exempt property, and how technical that distinction can appear to be; and 4. The role of the Trustee.

Of course, the moral of this story is don’t file a Bankruptcy shortly after the first of the year until your tax refund is back and spent.  Do, however, talk to an attorney in advance, however.  There are ways you can spend a tax refund right before you file that can cause bigger problems.  As this post should have pointed out, Bankruptcy is a complex and technical area of law, and there can be significant ramifications to deceptively routine transactions. 

Elaine