You may have seen ads for Pennsylvania Debt Relief Org or you are just considering debt relief in general due to a financial hardship.
You are in the right place.
The purpose of this article is to help you understand the legitimacy of debt relief in Pennsylvania . The best way to gauge the legitimacy of a program might be to consider online reviews. However, you may find that there are not many reviews covering Pennsylvania debt relief. That said, we found some interesting insights. Here’s what we’ll cover:
- What is Pennsylvania Debt Relief?
- How Much Does Pennsylvania Debt Relief Cost?
- Does Pennsylvania Debt Relief Provide Emergency Debt Relief?
- Whether Pennsylvania Debt Relief is legitimate
- Pros and Cons of Debt Relief Options
What Is Pennsylvania Debt Relief?
Pennsylvania debt relief is an organization that links debtors with other debt settlement companies. Or, it is a financial hardship option when you cannot afford your debt.
Debt relief is a broader term, which refers to getting assistance to help with your debt. Here’s the various debt relief options:
- Pennsylvania Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
- Pennsylvania Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
- Debt Relief
- Debt Management
Please note that many people consider Pennsylvania when they are facing a hardship such as Pennsylvania wage garnishment or a debt collection lawsuit or something that is forcing them to consider their options. Also, you may be curious how popular the bankruptcy option is.
Is Pennsylvania Debt Relief a Company?
Pennsylvania Debt Relief is a company that refers customers to debt settlement companies. Therefore, you don’t sign up with them directly. You will be signing up with the company they recommend you to. Here’s a picture that you may be familiar with:
It appears that Pennsylvania debt relief org often refer customers to ClearOne Advantage, so it’s important to understand the fees that you will be paying through the company that it recommends you to.
Finder states that ClearOne Advantage usually charges 25% of enrolled debt, which is quite high. If you opt to use our calculator, you will note the debt settlement companies we recommend charge between 15 and 18% of the enrolled debt, which can help you save thousands of dollars.
Pennsylvania Debt Relief Org Reviews
Pennsylvania Debt Relief Org is part of Envoy Media Group, which does have a BBB page with 2 reviews, and there’s a review on Finder for one of the state debt relief articles that mentioned getting calls over 20 times in a single day.
What can be helpful is to consider the reviews of who Pennsylvania refers you to. For example, if you are referred to ClearOne Advantage, you may look for ClearOne Advantages reviews that we cover extensively in an article.
How Much Does Pennsylvania Debt Relief Cost?
The cost of Pennsylvania debt relief is one of the most important things to consider because you are looking for debt relief.
At Ascend, we believe that debt relief may be a good option, but it’s only in the context of understanding all of your options and understanding the cost of that option. This is exactly why we built a free debt relief cost comparison calculator below that helps you compare the cost of debt relief, debt management, bankruptcy, and debt payoff planning. It’s 100% free, and doesn’t even require an email address.
Let’s cover some of the costs.
Chapter 7 bankruptcy is often the cheapest and fastest Pennsylvania debt relief option, but you often have to qualify using the Pennsylvania bankruptcy means test, which is based on your income, household size, and state. If it’s helpful, here are the income limits for bankruptcy cases filed on or after April 1, 2024.
| # of People | Annual Income |
|---|---|
| 1 | $66,923 |
| 2 | $81,574 |
| 3 | $103,172 |
| 4 | $125,861 |
| 5 | $135,761 |
| 6 | $145,661 |
| 7 | $155,561 |
| 8 | $165,461 |
| 9 | $175,361 |
From using the calculator, you will notice that the cost to file bankruptcy in Pennsylvania is $313 for a Chapter 13 and $338 for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. You may notice that does not include attorney fees though. Attorney fees may vary depending on where you live. For example, the Chapter 7 attorney fees are estimated at $1,000 in Philadelphia vs $995 in Allentown. For Chapter 13 bankruptcy in Pennsylvania the estimated attorney fee is $3000 – $4500.
You may also see that you are at risk of losing assets such as your home or vehicle if you have too much equity in a vehicle. To protect these assets, you can look at the Pennsylvania bankruptcy exemptions. For example, you can see the homestead exemption information below (source):
“Property held as tenancy by the entirety may be exempt against debts owed by only one spouse.”
For debt management in Pennsylvania, you’ll see the estimated monthly payment driven by potential interest rates reduction. Debt management is often most helpful if you have high interest credit cards.
For debt settlement, you’ll notice an estimated fee amount and an estimated settlement amount as the companies are trying to negotiate amounts (from say $10,000 to $5,000).
What is Emergency Debt Relief
Many people are looking for emergency debt relief in Pennsylvania, often capturing the most recent events. For example, a debt relief company may be pitching inflation debt relief when inflation is high.
If a company is promising you Pennsylvania emergency debt relief, please do your research to make sure that they are not just trying to pitch to you a debt relief program with high fees.
Is Pennsylvania Debt Relief legitimate?
Many people in Pennsylvania experience hardship that requires some sort of debt relief. Thankfully, there are legal debt relief options such as bankruptcy in Pennsylvania to help you get relief from your debt and a fresh start.
In Pennsylvania, you may also find legal aid options helpful that can help you get the help you need at a lower cost.
Please note that not everyone qualifies for free legal aid. If you are at or below the Pennsylvania poverty guidelines, you potentially could also have your bankruptcy filing fee waived. Below are the Pennsylvania poverty guidelines.
| # of People | 150% Poverty Guideline |
|---|---|
| 1 | $15,060 |
| 2 | $20,440 |
| 3 | $25,820 |
| 4 | $31,200 |
| 5 | $36,580 |
| 6 | $41,960 |
| 7 | $47,340 |
| 8 | $52,720 |
| 9 | $58,100 |
| * Add $5,380 for each individual in excess of 9. | |
Pros and Cons of Debt Relief Options
Finally, let’s cover some of the pros and cons of debt relief in Pennsylvania. You can find this list of pros and cons in our debt relief calculator results as well.
Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Pennsylvania
Pros:
- Legal protection against creditors
- Property protection against creditors
- No taxes on unpaid debt
- No qualification necessary (as long as under Chapter 13 debt limits)
Cons:
- High damage to credit report (on public record)
- High damage to credit score
- Possible low availability to credit after filing
- Low payment flexibility
- Length of time 3-5 years
- Low to medium success rate
Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Pennsylvania
Pros:
- Length of time ~ 90 days
- Most inexpensive option: ~$2,000
- Legal protection against creditors
- No taxes on unpaid debt
- Eliminates most unsecured debt
- High success rate
Cons:
- High damage to credit report
- High damage to credit score
- Possible low availability to credit after filing
- No property protection above exemption
- On public record
- Must qualify for Chapter 7 in Pennsylvania
Debt Settlement
Pros:
- Potential savings can be significant
- Payment flexibility for inconsistent income
- Can be < 1 year with access to capital
- May access credit sooner than bankruptcy
- Account cancellation creates accountability
Cons:
- Medium to high damage to credit report
- Medium to high damage to credit score
- Potential taxes on forgiven debt
- May be sued and collections can continue
- Late fees and interest
- On Public Record (if creditor sues)
- Low to medium success rate
Should I Pursue Debt Relief in Pennsylvania?
Pursuing debt relief in Pennsylvania is ultimately your decision and you know your finances best. For example, are you living in Pittsburgh and seeing that your rent is going to continue to rise? Are you facing inflation pressures from living in Philadelphia and trying to live on a Pennsylvania minimum wage of $7.25 per hour?
What you can do (if helpful) is take the free Pennsylvania debt relief calculator below that can help you estimate the costs and pros and cons of each of your options.
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