A bankruptcy petition is a set of forms (also known as schedules) on which a debtor filing for bankruptcy discloses detailed financial information to the bankruptcy court. These forms will require you to list all of your assets (real property and personal property), your monthly income and expenses, and the debts you want to eliminate or discharge in bankruptcy. Your bankruptcy case begins when you file the bankruptcy petition with the clerk of the bankruptcy court.

In Rhode Island, as in all states, a bankruptcy petition is the formal document filed by an individual or business to initiate bankruptcy proceedings. The petition includes a series of forms, often referred to as schedules, which provide the bankruptcy court with detailed information about the debtor's financial situation. These schedules require the debtor to list all assets, including both real and personal property, monthly income and expenses, and all debts that the debtor seeks to discharge. The process of filing a bankruptcy petition in Rhode Island is governed by federal law, specifically the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, as bankruptcy is a federal procedure. However, Rhode Island law will influence certain aspects of the bankruptcy process, such as exemptions (which protect certain property from being sold to pay creditors). Once the bankruptcy petition is filed with the clerk of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Rhode Island, the bankruptcy case officially begins, and an automatic stay goes into effect, temporarily halting most collection actions against the debtor.