1. Find out if you are eligible

You might be eligible for the Bankruptcy Assistance Program if all of the following are true:

• You have contacted two Licensed Insolvency Trustees to get their services and were refused.
• You have not recently been involved in commercial activities, like running a business or selling products.
• You do not need to make surplus income payments.
• You don't have assets that need to be sold.
• You are not in jail.

To know if you qualify for the Bankruptcy Assistance Program, you must check to see if you will need to make surplus income payments, or have other assets that a trustee would need to take and sell. Whether you need to make surplus income payments depends on the size of your family and your income.

To see if you might have to make a surplus income payment, you can use the Surplus Income Calculator. To use the calculator, you select the number of people in your family and enter your income and expenses. The calculator will give you an estimate of your surplus income. But only a Licensed Insolvency Trustee can tell you if you will have a Surplus Income Payment, and how much it will be.

When you follow the application process for the Bankruptcy Assistance Program, a Licensed Insolvency Trustee will tell you if you have surplus income. This happens during a first meeting, when the trustee decides if they can help you, or refer you to the Bankruptcy Assistance Program.