Legal Question in Bankruptcy in Illinois

Re: Bankruptcy

Do NOT pay off debts before you file, you have to list any payments you've made of over $600 in the past 90 days when you file, and the trustee can go after those creditors for the money so you are better off not paying off the credit cards before hand. Additionally, if you think you'd get to just keep a credit card, it would likely be cancelled even if you didn't have a balance, as they will find out you filed through their periodic check of your credit report.

Your credit won't likely be effected much by paying credit cards when you are filing bankruptcy. Your credit will become worse from the bankruptcy. Then you build it back up after the bankruptcy.