Opening the proceedings is not the end but the start of the clock. What follows is a period under obligations: the attachable part of your income goes to creditors, you must hold or seek work, and changes must be reported. Today that period runs three years.
Three years under obligations
After proceedings open comes a period with duties: work or seek work, report changes, hand over the attachable part of your income. Today it lasts three years.
✓ Verified: 15/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
› Details and tips
👨🏻💻
Max recommends:
Three years feels endless only at the start. I set a monthly reminder to send the evidence — after that it became routine you stop thinking about.
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Lea recommends:
Report a change of job in the same month. Delay looks like concealment even when nothing was concealed, and explaining it later costs more.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long does the procedure take now? ▾
Discharge of residual debt normally follows three years after proceedings open. It used to be six years, and many older texts online still say so — what governs is the version currently in force.
How much money do I keep? ▾
The subsistence minimum is protected and cannot be attached; its level depends on your income and the number of people you support. Only the part above the protected threshold is handed over, calculated from the official table.
May I work and earn more? ▾
Not only may you — you must. The duty to be in paid work or to demonstrably seek it is part of the obligations. Extra earnings partly go to creditors, but refusing work jeopardises the discharge itself.
What happens if I breach an obligation? ▾
Discharge can be refused where obligations are breached — for example by concealing income or refusing work. That is why changes are best reported immediately and voluntarily rather than waiting to be found out.