Apply for bankruptcy online
You can complete a Bankruptcy Form online if you wish to apply for bankruptcy.
If you are applying for bankruptcy with someone else, you must each complete a Bankruptcy Form online from your own online accounts. At question 16, you must both confirm that you are applying jointly with someone else or as part of a partnership and provide each other’s names. Everyone must also submit their Bankruptcy Form on the same day.
Do not use the online Bankruptcy Form if you have been made bankrupt by a court order (sequestration order).
Please contact us at info@afsa.gov.au or on 1300 364 785 to request a copy of the Statement of Affairs form, or you can obtain a copy from your trustee.
Understanding the Bankruptcy Form
The Bankruptcy Form has the following sections that you must complete
- Prescribed information
- Personal details, employment and income
- Money you owe
- General personal assets, real estate, other financial assets and asset transfers
- Businesses, companies and trusts
- Legal actions
- Declaration about the information you have entered in the Bankruptcy Form
You must answer each question before you can submit your form. You can save your answers at any time and return later to complete it.
Example of completed Bankruptcy Forms
Application to suppress certain information from the NPII
If you believe your safety is at risk by publishing your address or other information on the National Personal Insolvency Index (NPII), you may apply to have your address or other information hidden.
To do this, on the bankruptcy form at question 6 – Home Address, you must select the “Yes” checkbox that your safety is likely to be at risk if your address and/or occupation is published on the National Personal Insolvency Index and you will need to provide a reason in the free text field for the suppression.
For more information on how to make a request see Can I hide my details that appear on the National Personal Insolvency Index?
Getting help to complete the Bankruptcy Form
If you need help with your bankruptcy application, you can talk to a financial counsellor, registered trustee or other service provider. You must disclose the name of the person/organisation that helped you and any fees you paid for that assistance at question 17 of the Bankruptcy Form.
Financial counsellors are available nation-wide and provide an independent, free and confidential service. To speak with a free financial counsellor contact the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007. For more information on financial counsellors and other support services see Where to find help. You must disclose the name of the person/organisation that helped you and any fees you paid for that assistance at question 17 of the Bankruptcy Form.
You can also contact us if you have any questions or issues completing the Bankruptcy Form.
Apply for bankruptcy offline
If you can’t complete the form online or are completing the form on behalf of someone else, you can submit the Bankruptcy Form offline. To do this, contact us for a Bankruptcy Form and return it via post.
For more information see Submitting the Bankruptcy Form offline.
Using a registered trustee
Registered trustees won’t be able to lodge a Bankruptcy application online on behalf of their client, however a registered trustee can continue sending us their client’s completed application form to registry@afsa.gov.au.
Future enhancements to AFSA’s online services may include provision for registered trustees to lodge a bankruptcy application online on behalf of their clients. AFSA will consult with registered trustees and professional bodies about this provision.
Uploading supporting documents
You must attach documents to support your bankruptcy application if any of the below circumstances apply to you:
- You have consent from a registered trustee to manage your bankruptcy. You must attach a signed copy of the Trustee Consent to Act Declaration.
- You have stated at question 6 that your safety is likely to be at risk if your address and/or occupation appears on the National Personal Insolvency Index and you wish to provide evidence to support your request.
- You currently do not reside in Australia and need to attach evidence of your connection to Australia. This may include:
- travel itinerary showing travels to and from Australia
- evidence of overseas employment
- most recent Australian tax return.
- You are applying for bankruptcy as part of business partnership. You must attach documents relating to the financial affairs of the partnership such as:
- profit and loss statements
- balance sheet
- taxation documents.
Do not attach any documents if the above circumstances do not apply to you.
If you receive an error uploading a document, see the below troubleshooting for help.
Ensure the document is one of the below accepted file formats:
.csv |
.doc |
.docx |
.gif |
.htm |
.html |
.ico |
.jpeg |
.jpg |
.odp |
.ods |
.odt |
.png |
|
.ppt |
.pptx |
.rtf |
.svg |
.tif |
.tiff |
.txt |
.vsd |
.webp |
.xhtml |
.xls |
.xlsx |
.xml |
Our system automatically checks documents for any malicious software that may pose a risk to our systems and data.
You can check for malicious software by scanning your file with an antivirus program before you upload it.
You must have a stable internet connection for the file to be loaded from your device to our servers. Any interruptions to your internet connect may cause the upload to fail. Check that your internet connection is stable before trying again.
If you have tried the steps above and still cannot upload a file, then your device could be the cause of the issue. Try using a different device to upload your documents.
Alternatively, please contact us for further options.
Check the status of your bankruptcy application
You can log in to your Online Services account at any time to check the status of your bankruptcy application.
Status options that you may see include:
Draft |
You have started your Bankruptcy Form but not submitted it. |
---|---|
Submitted |
You have submitted your application and we are currently reviewing it. |
Accepted |
We have accepted your application for bankruptcy and a bankruptcy reference number will be listed. You will receive a letter from AFSA advising you of the next steps and your obligations while bankrupt. |
Returned |
We require more information from you to accept your form. The additional information you need to provide will be sent to your email address. You can log back into your online account to edit your returned application and provide the information requested before resubmitting. |
Rejected |
We have rejected your application. The reasons we have rejected your form will be sent to your email address. |
Withdrawn |
You have chosen to withdraw your application before AFSA has been able to process it. |