Fulfill your requirements and learn about your finances

If you're planning to file for bankruptcy, you must complete a Credit Counseling Briefing before you file, and a Debtor Education Course before your discharge is entered. The agencies who administer these courses must be approved by the U.S. Trustee, and failure to file certification that these courses have been completed at the appropriate time may mean that your case is dismissed or your discharge denied.

Fortunately, Start Fresh Today makes it easy for you to complete your pre-filing Credit Counseling Course and your pre-discharge Debtor Education Course right in the comfort of your own home-or anywhere else that you have Internet access. After a brief telephone follow-up, your certificate will be delivered electronically.

At just $69 for both products, Start Fresh Today's courses are some of the most affordable on the market. Buy a credit counseling briefing and receive a $10 discount on any purchase of a debtor education course, now or in the future. They're also easy-to-use, informative, and accessible 24 hours a day. Or, order either program separately.

Credit Counseling Briefing: The Credit Counseling Briefing is a 90-minute, interactive, web-based course that provides customized graphics and feedback based on the information you enter. The Briefing is just $30, whether you're filing individually or with your spouse.

Debtor Education Course: This 2-hour financial management course is easy to navigate and easy to understand. You'll get printable forms to use in budgeting and financial planning. The course is just $49, whether you're filing individually or with your spouse.


Please note that we are not a credit counseling agency. We have coordinated a pool of reputable, independent 501c3 credit counseling agencies to quickly review your data and post a PDF of the credit counseling certification to your account.

We simply facilitate the relationship between the agency and you and provide for a consistent briefing delivery. When you purchase the briefing, we assign you to a provider in the client's district. Additionally, all client data from our free Means Test instantly transfers to the Certification Program in an easy-to-use, editable format.

Start Fresh Today Instructional, LLC (SFTI) is an approved provider of Debtor Education Courses in all districts under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Trustee. In districts where SFTI is not an approved provider of Debtor Education Courses, we will match you with a provider approved in that district and facilitate registration, data transfer and certificate delivery.

All SFT-affiliated Providers are approved to issue certificates evidencing completion of a credit counseling briefing and/or personal financial management instructional course in compliance with the Bankruptcy Code. Approval does not endorse or assure the quality of a Provider’s services.

Disclosure Statement

Start Fresh Today Instructional is a provider of the pre- discharge personal finance debtor education course in accordance with the Bankruptcy Reform of Act of 2005.This interactive course fulfills your BAPCPA Debtor Education Course requirement. It automatically saves your progress so you may leave and come back at any time. This course contains engaging content and animated narrators to give you a rewarding and informative experience. Learn about budgeting, money management, rebuilding credit, credit rights and get your debtor education certificate.

Fee Waiver

Agencies Providing Briefings and Start Fresh Today Instructional agree to waive any fees if the consumer or debtor student has income less than 150 percent of the poverty guidelines last published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) (http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/09poverty.shtml) applicable to a family of the size involved in the 48 contiguous states.

PLEASE NOTE:

  1. The income for comparison to the poverty guidelines is the "Total Combined Monthly Income" as reported (or as will be reported) on Line 16 of Schedule I of the bankruptcy petition.
  2. Non-cash governmental assistance (such as food stamps or housing subsidies) is not included in calculating debtor income.
  3. The income of a spouse is included in calculating income whether or not a joint petition is filed, unless the spouses are separated and a joint petition is not fled.
  4. The income of any other family member listed on Schedule I as a dependent also is included.

Please consult with your attorney to see if you qualify. If your attorney cannot help you, call the Start Fresh Today Instructional Customer Service Line at 1 (800) 435-9138 to see if you qualify for a waiver.

To arrange for a waiver, please forward a written request for the waiver along with evidence of any and all income to:
Start Fresh Today, LLC.
ATTN: Fee Waivers
Email: info@startfreshtoday.com
Fax: 1-866-209-9860
Mail: 25 E Washington Street, 5th Floor, Chicago, IL 60602


* Disclosure Regarding the Purchase of Multiple Products and the Purchase of Debtor Education Prior to filing bankruptcy

The Congressional intent of requiring debtors to receive a pre-filing credit counseling briefing prior to filing bankruptcy is to provide debtors with the opportunity to be presented with all bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy alternatives before deciding whether or not to proceed with bankruptcy. After receiving your pre-filing briefing from an agency, found on StartFreshToday.com, you may decide not to proceed with bankruptcy, in which case you will not ever need to take a pre-discharge educational course. Even if you decide to file bankruptcy, if you file a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you may not need a pre-discharge educational course for a few years, or not at all if your case is dismissed prior to discharge. Nonetheless, Start Fresh Today Instructional, LLC has agreed to provide you with a discount on the purchase price of a pre-discharge educational course if you also have, at any time, purchased a pre-filing credit counseling briefing on StartFreshToday.com., even though the educational course may not be needed until the end of the bankruptcy case, or, in some circumstances, not at all. Please be advised that:

  1. You may return to StartFreshToday.com at any time after you take your credit counseling briefing and purchase the Start Fresh Today Instructional, LLC educational course at a discounted rate. You need not purchase the educational course at the same time as the briefing in order to receive a discount.
  2. If you do purchase the educational course at the same time as the briefing and later decide NOT to file for bankruptcy, you should contact SFTI for a full refund of your educational course fee.
  3. If you do purchase the educational course at the same time as the briefing and later decide to file a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you should immediately contact SFTI for a full refund of your educational course fee, as you may not need to take a pre-discharge educational course for a few years (or not at all if your Chapter 13 is dismissed before discharge), or the course may be offered for free by your Chapter 13 trustee.

Start Fresh Today, LLC.
ATTN: Refunds
Email: info@startfreshtoday.com
Fax: 1-866-209-9860
Mail: 25 E Washington Street, 5th Floor, Chicago, IL 60602.


Other Disclosures

  • SFTI and Agencies providing briefings charge fees for some services to cover the cost of providing the service. These fees including any postage, shipping, handling and materials. The fee is due and payable at the time of service.

Maximum Fee Schedule:

  Pre-Filing Bankruptcy Credit Counseling (provided by Approved Agencies) Pre-Discharge Debtor Education (provided by SFTI) Together
Individual Online Session $30 $49 $69
Joint Online Session $30 $49 $69
Individual Telephonic Session $50 $59 coming soon
Joint Telephonic Session $50 $59 coming soon

  • Neither the Provider nor the Agencies pay or receive fees or other considerations for the referral of debtors or consumers to or by the provider or agencies.
  • The briefing and the course are offered regardless of the consumer's or debtor's ability to pay.
  • Course and briefing materials are provided through the Internet via an interactive learning module. The Internet course can be accessed online 24 hours a day / 7 days a week and 365 days a year at the student's convenience. Educators are available via telephone to provide further instruction and to certify completion from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. Eastern Standard Time (EST), Monday through Friday, and 1 P.M. to 7 P.M. EST on Saturdays. Educators are not available on Sundays.
  • Briefing materials are provided via a live telephonic one-on-one briefing with a credit counseling agency who has been engaged by Start Fresh Today, Inc. to fulfill briefings ordered at the StartFreshToday.com website. Approved Agencies are available to conduct live telephonic credit counseling briefings from 8 A.M. to 10 P.M. Eastern Standard Time (EST), Monday through Thursday, 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. Fridays and 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. EST on Saturdays. Agencies are not available on Sundays.
  • Course materials are provided via a telephonic pre-recorded course. The telephonic course can be accessed via telephone 24 hours a day / 7 days a week and 365 days a year at the student's convenience. Educators are available via telephone to provide further instruction and to certify completion from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. Eastern Standard Time (EST), Monday through Friday, and 1 P.M. to 7 P.M. EST on Saturdays. Educators are not available on Sundays.
  • If you are disabled as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, SFTI has arranged for assistance to be provided to you by the Message Relay Center. You can access this service by calling 1-800-855-2880.
  • For Oregon students only, Start Fresh Today Instructional, LLC has obtained a $25,000.00 bond from North American Specialty Insurance Company, 1200 Arlington Heights Rd., Ste 400, Itasca, IL 60143-2526, Bond (#2067349) for the purpose of providing a pre-discharge personal finance debtor education to Oregon students accordance with the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2005. Any Oregon student who suffers damage as a result of a violation of any provision or ORS 646.380 to 646.398 and 646.608 or any rule adopted by the Director of the Division of Corporations of the Oregon Secretary of State pursuant to ORS 646.382 to 646.398 shall have a right of action under this bond. An action on the bond may be brought by the state or by any consumer filing a complaint in a court of competent jurisdiction not later than one year after the surety bond is cancelled or terminated.
  • Registered Agent's Address: National Registered Agents, Inc., 3533 Fairview Industrial Drive SE, Salem, OR 97302-1155.
  • The Start Fresh Today Instructional supervisors have been providing personal financial related educational material for over twelve years. Prior to providing debtor education, each SFTI educator is required to be certified as an Accredited Financial Counselor and maintain certification as such by the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE). Among other certification requirements, each educator must:
    • Identify proctor at local community college, learning center and complete the exam. Candidates must earn a 70% on each course examination.
    • Subscribe to the AFC Code of Ethics
    • Submit three letters of reference attesting to professional competence (one from supervisor, one from a fellow professional and one from a client).
    • Have two years of admissible financial counseling experience:
      • Offering one-on-one counseling or advising services for clients.
      • Developing and conducting education and training for clients.
      • Developing education and training programs for financial counselors.
      • Education and training financial counselors.
      • Serving as an education director for a financial counseling organization.
      • Supervising financial counselors.
    • All SFTI educators are AFCPE certified and:
      • Possess certified skills to assist individuals and families in the process of financial decision making.
      • Agree to maintain the highest ethical standards as written in the AFC Code of Ethics.
      • Maintain up-to-date knowledge in the fields of personal finance and financial counseling.
    • Have certified skills to assist individuals and families in the complex process of financial decision making, including the ability to:
      • Educate clients in sound financial principles.
      • Assist clients in the process of overcoming their financial indebtedness.
      • Help clients identify and modify ineffective money management behaviors.
      • Guide clients in developing successful strategies for achieving their financial goals.
      • Support clients as they work through their financial challenges and opportunities.
      • Help clients develop new perspective on the dynamics of money in relation to family, friends and individual self-esteem.
  • Upon completion of the course or briefing, SFTI or the Approved Agency, will provide a certificate of course or briefing completion to the debtor student or consumer, respectively.
  • The Provider and the Agencies are approved to issue certificates evidencing completion of personal financial management instructional course and the pre-bankruptcy credit counseling briefing, respectively, in compliance with the Bankruptcy Code. However, approval does not endorse or assure the quality of the approved Provider's or Agency's services.

If you reside in the state of Oregon, and agree to the terms and conditions of the preceding disclosure, you need to print the disclosure and fax a signed copy to 800-435-6205. Upon receipt an agent will contact you to process your order.

If you do not agree to the preceding disclosures, do not order the course, or you can arrange for a refund by contacting us at:

Start Fresh Today, LLC.
ATTN: Refunds
Email: info@startfreshtoday.com
Fax: 1-866-209-9860
Mail: 25 E Washington Street, 5th Floor, Chicago, IL 60602.