The United States Courts announced Tuesday that it is seeking comment from the public on proposed updates to the bankruptcy forms used by individual debtors. These changes are the first proposed modernization of the forms in two decades.

"We recognized that the debtors filing as individuals may not have the assistance of a lawyer, and they may not be as sophisticated about finances as, for example, a large corporate debtor. Our goal was to make the official bankruptcy forms more user-friendly and less error-prone," said Oregon Bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth Perris, who heads an ad hoc group of members drawn from the Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules and representatives of bankruptcy-related groups.

The revised forms include the fee waiver and installment fee forms, income and expense forms, and the means test forms, which will replace previous forms. A goal is to present the forms in ordinary, conversational English with clearer instructions.

The public comment period closes Feb. 15.

More information on the revamped forms is available on the U.S. Courts’ website.