How bankruptcy attorneys request a pay stub from clients
By Arthur Teboul, DokuTrak · Published
In short
Ask the client for every pay stub received in the six months before the planned filing date, from every job, and a working spouse’s stubs too. The Bankruptcy Code requires the pay stubs from the 60 days before the petition, and the means test averages income over six months, so one six-month set covers both.
Why bankruptcy attorneys need a pay stub
Under 11 U.S.C. § 521(a)(1)(B)(iv) the debtor files the payment advices received within 60 days before the petition. The means test averages gross income over the six months before filing, and the same stubs feed Schedule I. A missing pay period changes the average, and the trustee will compare the stubs with the deposits on the bank statements.
What exactly to ask for
Every stub, weekly or biweekly, dated in the six months before the filing date, for the client and for a spouse whose income counts in the household. Ask the client to list every source of pay, side jobs and gig work included, and to keep sending new stubs until the petition is filed so the 60-day set stays current.
What to check when it arrives
- The dates run without gaps across the six months, so the average is not built on a missing pay period.
- The 60-day set reaches the last payday before filing; refresh it if the filing date moves.
- Gross pay is legible next to deductions such as 401(k) loan repayments or wage garnishments, which also belong on the schedules.
Email to send your client
Replace the bracketed parts. The same text fits in the message of a DokuTrak request (up to 1,000 characters).
Subject: Your pay stubs for the last six months
Hi [Client name],
I know gathering paperwork is one more thing on a heavy list right now, so thank you for working through it with me.
I need every pay stub you received over the last six months, from each job, including any side work. If your spouse works, please include their stubs too. The PDFs from your payroll portal are ideal; clear photos of paper stubs are fine.
Could you send them by [date]? Please keep forwarding new ones until we file. If some stubs are missing, tell me which employer and we will find another way.
Warmly, [Your name]
Sources
The rules above come from these primary sources. Check them, and your local rules, before you rely on them.
Ask once. DokuTrak does the chasing.
- Your client uploads from one link, with no account and no password.
- Reminders go out on a schedule, by default 2, 5, 10 and 14 days after the request, until the file arrives.
- With AI review switched on in your workspace (it is off by default), each upload gets a first pass that flags a file that is not a pay stub, an unreadable or blurry scan or a copy where one of these is missing or cut off: the employee’s name, the net pay, the pay period dates. It says so when it is not sure.
- You accept every file or mark it for re-upload, and your client gets the note by email. The AI never accepts a file.