When must the debtor begin making payments to the chapter 13 trustee and how must they be made?

The debtor must begin making payments to the chapter 13 trustee within 30 days after the debtor’s plan if filed with the court, and the plan must be filed with court within 15 days after the case is filed. To put it simply, the debtor must make his or her first plan payment 45 days after filing chapter 13. The payments must be made regularly, usually on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. It the debtor is employed, some courts require the payments to be made by the debtor’s employer; otherwise, the payments can be made by either the debtor or the debtor’s employer. In Lubbock, the court generally enters payroll withholding orders for all chapter 13 debtors unless good cause is shown why an order should not be entered.