11 USC 524 generally prevents collection of a discharged debt as the debtor’s personal liability. It voids covered personal-liability judgments and operates as an injunction against prohibited collection acts. The protection depends on whether the particular debt was discharged; it is not a blanket prohibition on every communication or every action involving property. [1]
Identify the debt and the discharge order
Keep the case number, discharge order, creditor notices, and documents identifying the obligation. Section 523 contains exceptions for specified debts, and the applicable bankruptcy chapter matters. A debt’s appearance on a schedule does not by itself prove it was discharged, while omission presents its own legal questions. [1][2]
Distinguish the temporary automatic stay from the discharge injunction. They arise at different stages and have different legal bases. A creditor’s conduct after discharge should be assessed against the actual discharge protection rather than described only as violating the old stay.
Liens and co-signers are separate
Discharge generally removes personal liability rather than automatically eliminating every valid lien. Section 524 also states that, subject to its specified exception, another entity’s liability is not discharged merely because the debtor received a discharge. A co-signer should not assume the borrower’s bankruptcy eliminates the co-signer’s promise. [1]
For secured property, review the lien, the plan or order, and the proposed collection method. An effort to enforce surviving collateral rights can raise a different question from demanding personal payment from the discharged debtor.
Reaffirmation requires statutory safeguards
A reaffirmation agreement can preserve a personal repayment obligation that would otherwise be dischargeable. Section 524(c) imposes conditions involving timing, disclosures, filing, legal advice or court review where required, and rescission rights. The agreement generally must be made before discharge. Simply making a voluntary payment is not the same as executing an enforceable reaffirmation. [1]
The statute allows rescission before discharge or within sixty days after the agreement is filed, whichever is later. Evaluate affordability and the consequences of future default before signing. The statute separately permits voluntary repayment without requiring reaffirmation. [1]
Responding to suspected prohibited collection
- Save letters, payment demands, call records, and lawsuit papers.
- Match the demand to the discharged obligation.
- Provide the discharge information through an appropriate documented channel.
- Ask bankruptcy counsel or the court’s self-help resources about enforcement procedures.
See Chapter 11 confirmation and discharge timing and divorce-related debts in Chapter 13 for important situations where a general discharge summary is insufficient.
Primary sources
Sources checked: October 31, 2026.