Debt Discharge under Chapter 7
When a debt is discharged under Chapter 7, it means that the debt is in effect wiped away and no longer exists. Therefore, the debtor does not need to continue to pay it off. Basically, this is the goal of any Chapter 7 filing, as the reason the case was filed in the first place was due to an inability to pay these bills and debts.
However, as stated above, there are now a few additional requirements in place in order for a discharge to be granted by the court, and these steps include the completion of both the credit counseling program and the personal financial management courses. While these steps may cost a bit more than just the petition and can extend the time until discharge is granted, they should not by themselves ever be a reason to deny the discharge.