When you generate your Chapter 13 plan, certain sections are automatically populated with data pulled directly from your case. This article explains exactly how each part of your plan is filled in, so you know how your case information needs to be entered for it to appear in the correct section of your plan.
(These instructions are specific to the California Central Plan. If you are looking for a different district, you can search the Help Center for the article related to your plan.)
Caption — Prior and Alternate Names
The plan will list any prior or alternate names on file for the debtor and joint debtor, including business names, each preceded by "AKA." These names are pulled from the Debtor Profile under Prior/Alternate Names.
Header — § 341(a) Creditors' Meeting
If a 341 meeting date has been entered, the plan will display the date, time, and address for the creditors' meeting.
Header — Plan Confirmation Hearing
If a confirmation hearing date has been entered, the plan will display the date, time, and address for the confirmation hearing.
Part 1, § 1.4 — Other Non-Standard Plan Provisions
This checkbox indicates whether the plan includes any non-standard provisions in Section IV.
If any claims are entered in Class 3A (Unimpaired Claims Paid Directly by Debtor), the system will mark Included.
If no claims are entered in Class 3A, the system will mark Not Included.
Class 1 — Allowed Unsecured Claims Entitled to Priority
This section is always included in the plan and contains the full Class 1 priority claims table. Each subsection is populated based on claims entered in the Plan Editor.
Class 1(b)(1) — Internal Revenue Service (Federal Tax Claims) The plan will display the total claim balance, interest rate, and total amortized payment for all federal tax priority claims set to pay inside the plan.
Class 1(b)(2) — Franchise Tax Board The plan will display the total claim balance, interest rate, and total amortized payment for all Franchise Tax Board priority claims set to pay inside the plan.
Class 1(b)(3) — Domestic Support Obligations (Paid Inside the Plan) The plan will display the total claim balance, interest rate, and total amortized payment for all domestic support obligation (DSO) priority claims set to pay inside the plan.
Class 1(b)(4) — Other Priority Claims The plan will display the total claim balance, interest rate, and total amortized payment for all other priority claims set to pay inside the plan, excluding federal taxes, Franchise Tax Board, and DSO claims.
Class 1(c) — Domestic Support Obligations Not Paid in Full
This section lists any domestic support obligation claims where the treatment is set to "Claim will not be paid in full through the plan." For each claim, the plan will include the creditor name, balance, interest rate, monthly payment, plan length, and total payment (monthly payment multiplied by the plan length).
If there are no such claims, one blank row will appear in this section.
Class 2 — Claims Secured Solely by Debtor's Principal Residence
This section covers mortgage claims attached to the debtor's residential property where the intent is not to surrender or avoid.
If no qualifying claims are entered, the None box will be checked.
If qualifying claims are present, the active treatment box will be checked and the claims table will be populated.
For each claim, the plan will include the creditor name, last 4 digits of the account number, arrearage amount (if any), interest rate on the arrearage, estimated monthly arrearage payment, and estimated total payments.
Disbursing Agent: The plan will also indicate how the ongoing post-confirmation mortgage payment will be made:
If the mortgage treatment is Conduit, the plan will indicate that the Chapter 13 Trustee will make the post-confirmation payment, and will list the creditor name and account number.
If the mortgage treatment is Pay Outside the Plan or Pay Outside by Co-Debtor, the plan will indicate that the debtor will make the payment directly, and will list the creditor name and account number.
If neither condition applies, both disbursing agent options will appear unchecked with blank fields.
Class 3A — Unimpaired Claims Paid Directly by Debtor
This section lists all claims where the treatment is to pay outside the plan or pay outside the plan by co-debtor.
If no qualifying claims are entered, the None box will be checked.
If qualifying claims are present, the active treatment box will be checked and the plan will list each creditor name and last 4 digits of the account number.
Class 3B — Claims Subject to Cram Down (§ 506)
This section lists all secured claims where the treatment is "Subject to 11 U.S.C. § 506 (Cram Down)."
If no qualifying claims are entered, the None box will be checked.
If qualifying claims are present, the active treatment box will be checked and the claims table will be populated.
For each claim, the plan will include the creditor name, last 4 digits of the account number, total claim amount (from Schedule D), secured claim amount, interest rate, estimated monthly payment, and estimated total payments (amortized balance).
Class 3C — Claims Paid in Full Without Bifurcation
This section covers two types of claims:
Impaired Claims Paid Through the Plan by the Trustee — This includes any secured mortgage claims not attached to the debtor's residential property with no arrearages where the treatment is "Pay mortgage in full through plan," as well as any secured claims with no arrearages set to pay inside the plan where neither the 506 nor the 910 option is selected. For each claim, the plan will include the creditor name, last 4 digits of the account number, secured balance, interest rate, estimated monthly payment, and estimated total payments (amortized balance).
Cure and Maintain Claims — One blank row will always appear in this section.
If no qualifying claims are entered for either section, the None box will be checked.
Non-Residential Mortgage — Disbursing Agent: For any mortgage attached to property that is not the debtor's residential address, the plan will also indicate how the ongoing post-confirmation payment will be made:
If the treatment is Conduit, the plan will indicate that the Chapter 13 Trustee will make the payment, and will list the creditor name and account number.
If the treatment is Pay Outside the Plan or Pay Outside by Co-Debtor, the plan will indicate that the debtor will make the payment directly, and will list the creditor name and account number.
If neither condition applies, both options will appear unchecked with blank fields.
For non-residential arrears paid inside the plan, the plan will include the creditor name, last 4 digits of the account number, arrearage amount, interest rate, monthly payment, number of months, and total payment.
Class 3D — Secured Claims Excluded from § 506 (910 Vehicle Claims)
This section lists all secured claims where the 910 vehicle exclusion is selected.
If no qualifying claims are entered, the None box will be checked.
If qualifying claims are present, the active treatment box will be checked and the claims table will be populated.
For each claim, the plan will include the creditor name, last 4 digits of the account number, total claim balance, interest rate, estimated monthly payment, and estimated total payments (amortized balance).
Class 4 — Other Long-Term Claims Under § 1322(b)(5)
This section lists any secured mortgage claims not attached to the debtor's residential property where the intent is not to surrender or avoid and the treatment is to pay outside the plan or conduit.
If no qualifying claims are entered, the None box will be checked.
If qualifying claims are present, the active treatment box will be checked and the claims table will be populated.
For each claim, the plan will include the creditor name, last 4 digits of the account number, arrearage amount (if any), interest rate on the arrearage, estimated monthly arrearage payment, estimated total payments, and the disbursing agent (Trustee if conduit, Debtor if paying outside the plan).
Class 5A — Non-Priority Unsecured Claims: Pro Rata vs. Subclass Treatment
This section indicates how Class 5 unsecured claims will be treated:
If there are no unsecured claims with special treatment, the plan will indicate that all Class 5 claims will be paid pro rata as a single class.
If there are unsecured claims with special treatment, the plan will indicate that Class 5 claims will be divided into subclasses, and will list each specially treated creditor with their balance and the percentage to be paid.
Class 5 — Separate Classification Checkbox
This checkbox controls whether the plan activates the Class 5B and 5C subclass sections.
If any claims are entered in Class 5B or Class 5C, the None box will be left unchecked and the subclass sections will be active.
If no claims are entered in either section, the None box will be checked.
Class 5B — Unsecured Claims Paid Outside the Plan
This section lists any unsecured claims where the treatment is to pay outside the plan. For each claim, the plan will include the creditor name, last 4 digits of the account number, interest rate, estimated monthly payment, and estimated total payments.
If no qualifying claims are entered, one blank row will appear in this section.
Class 5C — Unsecured Claims with Special Treatment
This section lists any unsecured claims with special treatment that is not to pay outside the plan. For each claim, the plan will include the creditor name, last 4 digits of the account number, the amount to be paid on the claim, interest rate, and estimated total payments.
If no qualifying claims are entered, the checkbox next to this section will be left blank and one blank row will appear.
Class 6 — Surrender of Collateral
This section lists all claims where the intent is to surrender the collateral.
If no qualifying claims are entered, the None box will be checked.
If qualifying claims are present, the active treatment box will be checked and the plan will list each creditor name and description of the collateral being surrendered.
Class 7 — Executory Contracts and Unexpired Leases
This section lists all lease and executory contract claims.
If no qualifying claims are entered, the None box will be checked.
If qualifying claims are present, the active treatment box will be checked and the plan will list each creditor name, asset description, and whether the lease is assumed or rejected. For assumed leases, the cure amount (arrearage balance, if any) will also be displayed.
Section III — Plan Summary
The Plan Summary table is automatically calculated based on all claims entered in the plan. It includes the following line items:
Class 1a — Unpaid attorney's fees and costs
Class 1b — Total priority claim balance (paid inside the plan)
Class 1c — Total DSO conduit payments (monthly payment multiplied by plan length)
Class 2 — Total estimated payments from residential mortgage claims
Class 3B — Total estimated payments from cram down claims
Class 3C — Total estimated payments from claims paid in full without bifurcation
Class 3D — Total estimated payments from 910 vehicle claims
Class 4 — Total estimated payments from long-term claims
Class 5A — Total estimated payments to general unsecured creditors
Class 5C — Total estimated payments to specially treated unsecured creditors
Class 7 — Total lease arrearage payments being paid through the plan
Subtotal — The combined total of all of the above
Chapter 13 Trustee's Fee — The subtotal multiplied by the applicable trustee percentage (estimated at 11%)
Total Payment — The subtotal plus the trustee's fee
Plan Analysis — Feasibility Totals
The following calculated totals are used in the plan's feasibility analysis:
Priority claims paid inside the plan — the total balance owed to all priority claims marked to pay inside the plan, excluding DSO claims marked as "will not be paid in full."
DSO conduit total — the total payment amount from the DSO conduit table (monthly payment multiplied by the plan length).
Residential mortgage total — the total of all residential arrearage balances plus the ongoing monthly payment multiplied by the plan length for any conduit residential mortgage.
Non-residential secured claims total — the total amortized balance owed to all non-mortgage secured claims paid inside the plan.
Non-residential mortgage total — the total of all non-residential arrearage balances plus the ongoing monthly payment multiplied by the plan length for any conduit non-residential mortgage.
Unsecured claims total — the total amount to be paid to all general unsecured creditors plus any specially treated unsecured creditors.
Grand total — the combined total of unpaid attorney's fees, all of the above figures.
Section I.B — Liquidation Value and Unsecured Minimum Payment
Two values support the minimum payment calculations for unsecured creditors:
Liquidation value — the total unexempt amount from the Exempt Property Analysis table. This represents what unsecured creditors would receive in a hypothetical Chapter 7 case.
Unsecured liquidation ratio — the total unsecured balance (including claims with special treatment) divided by the liquidation value.
💡 Note: If you don't see instructions for a specific line, that line likely requires a manual entry. You can enter data directly in the Plan Editor. Check out this article for tips on using the editor.