dischargen.
Reviewed by Owen Hathaway, AttorneyUpdated June 5, 2026The court order that legally wipes out a debtor's personal liability for covered debts, and it is the goal of most bankruptcies and the heart of the fresh start.
A discharge is the court order releasing a debtor from personal liability for dischargeable debts, permanently barring creditors from collecting them. It is the central relief bankruptcy provides: the fresh start.
Not all debts are dischargeable: most taxes, domestic support, recent student loans (absent hardship), and debts from fraud commonly survive. In Chapter 7 the discharge comes within months; in Chapter 13 it follows completion of the repayment plan.
Discharge is governed by federal law (11 U.S.C. § 727 for Chapter 7; § 1328 for Chapter 13), the same in Colorado and Wyoming. Which debts survive discharge is a frequent and consequential planning question.
Related terms
- Chapter 7The most common form of bankruptcy: eligible debts are wiped out in a few months, with exemptions protecting most or all of an honest debtor's property.
- Chapter 13A bankruptcy that reorganizes debt into a three-to-five-year repayment plan — used to keep a house, catch up on arrears, or when income is too high for Chapter 7.
- automatic stayThe court order that takes effect the instant a bankruptcy is filed and immediately stops most collection efforts such as calls, lawsuits, garnishments, and foreclosures.