If a debtor applies for their own bankruptcy, they will normally be discharged one year after the date the bankruptcy was awarded. If a creditor petitioned for the bankruptcy, discharge will be one year after the date that the court issued the warrant citing the debtor to appear at a hearing. However, if a debtor does not co-operate with the trustee, the trustee can ask the sheriff to delay the discharge by up to two years at a time.

The debtor will not be formally notified that the bankruptcy has been discharged. However they can, if they wish, ask the Accountant in Bankruptcy for a certificate of discharge. There will normally be a charge for this.

Even though a debtor has been discharged, the bankruptcy will not be finished until the trustee has done everything they need to, and they are discharged from their duties. The debtor must co-operate with the trustee until the trustee is discharged.

The debtor will be notified of the trustee's application for discharge.

Can a bankruptcy end sooner than this?

There are two ways in which a bankruptcy can end sooner.

• Recall of Bankruptcy; or
• Offer of composition

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