If money is debited from your account after bankruptcy ends, first compare the payment with the final court order. Establish whether the discharge covered this debt, who initiated collection and who received the funds. These three points determine whom to contact and how to seek repayment.
Legal provisions checked on 22 October 2026. This guide concerns debits following court-based personal bankruptcy in Russia.
Check whether discharge was granted and whether exceptions apply.
The statement and payment document matter more than a label in a banking app.
Identify the collection to be stopped and the exact amount sought.
Is every post-bankruptcy debit unlawful?
No. Article 213.28 of Federal Law No. 127-FZ provides for discharge but retains exceptions. Current payments, maintenance obligations and compensation for injury to life or health, for example, survive. Grounds for refusing discharge, subsidiary liability and obligations under a court-approved separate mortgage settlement also require individual review. The completion date alone is not enough.
Read the operative part of the final order and any findings concerning this creditor. Compare the contract, debt period, collection judgment and payment reference. If bankruptcy has only started and has not ended, this guide cannot be used as evidence that the debt has already been discharged.
Who initiated the debit: the bank, a bailiff or the creditor?
| Basis of the operation | What to establish | First contact |
|---|---|---|
| Bailiff’s order | Enforcement case number, debt basis, and whether the funds remain with FSSP or have reached the creditor | Ask the bailiff to review collection, stop further deductions where legally justified and resolve repayment |
| Enforcement document submitted directly to the bank | Who submitted it, its reference and the payment recipient | Send the final court order to the bank for review; request repayment from the creditor |
| The bank collected its own loan | Contractual debit, set-off or other basis, and whether discharge covers the debt | Submit a complaint to the bank identifying the operation |
| Automatic payment or transfer on your instructions | Who created the instruction, whether consent remained valid and whether future payments can be cancelled | Contact the bank and recipient. Voluntary performance needs separate legal assessment |
The word “collection” in an app does not reveal the full payment chain. Request the enforcement document reference, initiator, transfer date and recipient. Do not send your only complaint to a bailiff if the creditor submitted the document directly to the bank.
Documents to collect
- The complete final bankruptcy court order and information on appeals and its entry into legal force.
- An account statement showing the date, amount, purpose, recipient and transaction reference.
- The bailiff’s order and enforcement case number, or details of the document submitted directly to the bank.
- The contract and debt calculation identifying the period concerned.
- Earlier notices of completion of bankruptcy and proof of receipt.
- Your account details for repayment and a calculation of the disputed total without counting any transaction twice.
For several debits, prepare a table: date, amount, basis, recipient and supporting document. A notification screenshot is useful supplementary evidence but does not replace the statement and collection documents.
How to seek repayment: the sequence
- Record the debit. Download a statement and retain the notification. Confirm whether money was transferred or merely frozen.
- Check discharge coverage. Connect this specific debt with the final order. Do not challenge surviving obligations solely on the basis of discharge.
- Address repeat deductions. Notify the bank and collection initiator, supplying the documents. Ask for registration of your request and a decision on further enforcement.
- Locate the funds. Ask the bailiff for distribution records and the bank for transfer details.
- Contact the appropriate party. Attach a calculation and evidence. Keep the reference number, date and delivery confirmation.
- Verify the outcome. A message saying “request reviewed” does not prove repayment. Check the credit in your statement and whether further deductions on the same basis have stopped.
If the funds are still with the bailiff service
Ask for review of the collection and resolution of repayment before distribution to the creditor. Article 110 of Federal Law No. 229-FZ regulates distribution and return of a remaining balance to the debtor. It does not automatically classify every disputed debit as a refundable balance. Explain why this amount should not have been collected and attach evidence that the relevant debt was discharged.
If the creditor has received the money
Obtain the transfer document from the bailiff or bank, then send a repayment demand to the recipient. The legal basis and proper defendant depend on the collection mechanism. Depending on the facts, bank liability, restitution for unjust enrichment or another claim may be relevant. Articles 1102 and 1109 of the Civil Code must be assessed together: not every payment after bankruptcy is recoverable merely by referring to unjust enrichment.
Request templates: what to write
Replace the brackets with your details. Include only facts and requests supported by your documents. These are English explanations of requests for use in Russia; submit the appropriate Russian text to the recipient.
✉ Request to the bank
On [date], [amount] roubles was debited from account [number], transaction [reference]. By order dated [date] in case [number], [arbitrazh court] completed the asset-realisation procedure and granted discharge. The debit concerns [creditor, contract, period], which is covered by discharge according to the attached documents.
Please identify the legal basis, initiator, enforcement document and recipient; review the lawfulness of this debit and further enforcement of the claim; refund the unjustified debit if the requirements for bank liability are met, or explain the applicable repayment procedure. Please provide a reasoned response. Attachments: court order, statement and debt documents.
✉ Request to the bailiff
In enforcement case [number], [amount] roubles was deducted on [date] for [creditor, enforcement document]. The order of [court, date, case number] completed bankruptcy and granted discharge of the relevant obligation.
Please review the lawfulness of collection in light of the attached order; where legally justified, issue the procedural decisions needed to prevent further collection of this claim and remove the related measures; identify where the deducted money is held and supply distribution details. If FSSP holds the amount and it is not subject to collection, please resolve repayment to [account details]. If transferred to the creditor, please provide the transfer date, amount and payment reference. Attachments: court order, statement and debt documents.
If repayment is refused or there is no response
Request a reasoned decision about the specific debit. If the bank cites a bailiff’s order, obtain it. If the bailiff says the funds have been distributed, request the payment document. Repeatedly forwarding the same general message between organisations rarely resolves the missing evidence.
Article 122 of Federal Law No. 229-FZ establishes a ten-day period for a complaint through the superior-officer procedure. For someone not notified of the action, the period relates to when they learned or should have learned of it. Calculation and restoration of the period require separate review. Judicial review of a bailiff’s act and a monetary claim against the recipient are different remedies. Do not assume ordinary correspondence automatically suspends a challenge deadline.
In a bank dispute, first check any mandatory pre-court procedure, including referral to the financial ombudsman where applicable. A regulator complaint does not replace a repayment claim or guarantee recovery. The documents determine jurisdiction, the proper defendant, the claim amount and whether an enforcement action must first be challenged.
Frequently asked questions
Can I recover everything deducted before bankruptcy ended?
There is no automatic rule returning all earlier payments. The stage, debt category, date and basis matter. This guide concerns debits after completion of court-based bankruptcy.
Is a Fedresurs notice enough for the bank?
It helps confirm the event, but assessing discharge requires the complete final court order and details of the particular debt. The bank may request further relevant documents.
Is there a single post-bankruptcy refund deadline?
No single deadline applies equally to a bank, bailiff and recipient. The response period, execution of a repayment decision and court recovery are separate matters.
Must I cancel the court order for collection?
That is a separate procedural issue. Completion of bankruptcy does not itself cancel a collection order. First identify the enforcement document and the remedy appropriate to the facts.
Does this guide apply to bankruptcy through an MFC?
The documents and scope of discharge in an out-of-court procedure need separate review under Chapter X of Federal Law No. 127-FZ. Substituting an MFC notice for a court order does not make all the other conclusions identical.
Legal sources
- Article 213.28 of Federal Law No. 127-FZ: discharge and exceptions.
- Article 110 of Federal Law No. 229-FZ: distribution of collected funds; Article 122: complaint period.
- Civil Code Article 854: grounds for debiting; Article 856: bank liability.
- Civil Code Article 1102 and Article 1109: unjust enrichment and exceptions.
Clarifications approved by the Presidium of the Russian Supreme Court on 18 March 2020: mandatory pre-court procedure in financial-services disputes where prescribed by law.
Related reading: claims that survive bankruptcy.
Need to identify whom to claim against?
Prepare the final court order, account statement and collection document. They help establish the correct recipient and the requests needed.
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