Filing for bankruptcy likely provides the springboard for your new financial beginning. Your debt and financial struggles proved to be a wake-up call, and you clearly understood that certain behaviors in your life had to change, namely your spending habits.

And now that you have taken the necessary step, you wonder just how much of your debt slate will be wiped clean? You must understand that not all debt will go away. Still, you remain responsible for certain debt that remains upon filing for personal bankruptcy.

Child support and most taxes remain

Non-dischargeable debt is the debt that remains after someone files for personal bankruptcy. Among the examples of non-dischargeable debt include:

• Alimony: If you have been divorced and the agreement included the requirement of spousal support, you must continue to pay your former spouse. However, there are rare instances when payment modifications are possible.
• Child support: There is no way of getting out of making these payments, and why would you want to do so? Your child and your former spouse depend on these payments as part of the divorce agreement. Continue to pay your fair share.
• Many taxes: Once the bankruptcy proceeding concludes, the U.S. government immediately seeks to collect any outstanding taxes. However, if you are well behind on your taxes, the IRS may temporarily suspend your tax debt.
• Student loans: Previously this was always the case. However, examples exist in which courts discharge student loan debt if it met "undue hardship" standards.

In filing for personal bankruptcy, you have taken a major step toward improving your financial standing. Discipline helps, but also remember that bankruptcy does not eliminate certain debts.