Consumer bankruptcy notices for AT&T go to the AT&T Bankruptcy Center at 2270 Lakeside Blvd, 7th Floor, Richardson, TX 75082, not to the billing address on your monthly statement. This is a dedicated department, separate from regular customer service and payment processing, and sending your filing information anywhere else is the most common reason debtors see delayed processing, continued automated collection calls, and confusion about their account status.
Where to Send Consumer Bankruptcy Notices
For wireless, internet, and television accounts, use the Richardson address above. You can also fax your case information to 866-486-8223 for faster delivery.1AT&T. Contact Us After You File for Bankruptcy
After the filing is processed, you or your attorney can verify account status by calling AT&T’s dedicated bankruptcy support line at 833-870-0535. That number is not for general customer service questions.
Where to Send Business Bankruptcy Notices
Business account holders use a different address:
AT&T c/o Business Bankruptcy
PO Box 769
Arlington, TX 76004
The business bankruptcy fax number is 888-826-0132.2AT&T. Bankruptcy Case Details
What to Include With Your Notice
Give the bankruptcy department enough to match the filing to your account on the first pass. Include:
- Your full AT&T account number from your billing statement.
- Your name exactly as it appears on the account. Small mismatches between the petition and the AT&T record cause processing delays.
- The bankruptcy court, your case number, the petition date, and whether you filed Chapter 7 or Chapter 13.
- The type of service involved (wireless, internet, television), particularly if you have more than one AT&T account.
- The approximate amount owed, matching what you listed on your bankruptcy schedules.
You also need to list the bankruptcy center address on your creditor matrix so the court’s official notices reach the right department.3Legal Information Institute. Rule 1007 – Lists, Schedules, Statements, and Other Documents; Time to File
Keep copies of everything: the notice itself, fax confirmations, mailing receipts, and any written response. If a dispute later arises about whether AT&T received proper notice, that paper trail is your best evidence.
Formal Legal Service Goes to the Registered Agent, Not the Bankruptcy Center
The addresses above are for sending case information and the Notice of Commencement. If your attorney needs to formally serve legal pleadings or a summons on AT&T, those documents go to AT&T’s registered agent, CT Corporation, in the appropriate state. Serving legal process at the bankruptcy center does not count as proper service under the rules of civil procedure.
When the Automatic Stay Actually Kicks In
The automatic stay takes effect the moment you file your petition with the court. It does not depend on AT&T receiving your notice. Federal law bars creditors from collection on prepetition debts as of the filing itself.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 362 – Automatic Stay
People sometimes worry about getting the notice to AT&T fast enough to “activate” the stay. That isn’t how it works. You are protected from the moment of filing. The reason to notify AT&T promptly is practical: until AT&T’s internal systems flag your account, automated billing and collection processes keep running. Those automated contacts are technically stay violations even when AT&T doesn’t yet know about the filing, and prompt notice avoids that mess.
The 20-Day Deposit Rule for Continued Service
AT&T cannot cut off telephone, internet, or similar utility service just because you filed bankruptcy or because you owe money from before the filing date.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 U.S. Code 366 – Utility Service The catch, and it surprises most filers, is that within 20 days of the filing date you must provide “adequate assurance of payment” for future service. In practice that usually means a cash deposit. If you don’t provide it within that window, AT&T is legally permitted to disconnect.
If AT&T asks for an unreasonably high deposit, you can ask the bankruptcy court to order a lower amount. Acceptable forms of assurance include a cash deposit, a letter of credit, prepayment of future service, or another arrangement you and AT&T agree on.
Equipment and Service Contracts After Filing
Past-due monthly service charges are unsecured debt. Equipment installment plans, where you’re still paying off a phone or other device, may be treated as secured debt because AT&T retains an interest in the equipment until it is paid off. What you can do about those obligations depends on which chapter you filed.
Chapter 7
If you financed equipment on an installment plan, Chapter 7 requires a statement of intention within 30 days of filing (or before the meeting of creditors, whichever comes first) telling AT&T and the court what you plan to do with the property.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 U.S. Code 521 – Debtor’s Duties Your options:
- Surrender the equipment. Return the device and let the remaining balance discharge with your other debts.
- Redeem the equipment. Pay AT&T the current fair market value in a lump sum, which can be less than the remaining installment balance if the device has depreciated.
- Reaffirm the debt. Sign a reaffirmation agreement that keeps the original payment terms alive, so you keep the device and remain personally liable for the full balance after discharge.
You must follow through on your stated choice within 30 days after the first date set for the meeting of creditors.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 U.S. Code 521 – Debtor’s Duties
Chapter 13
Chapter 13 is more flexible. You can assume the service contract and keep paying your regular monthly bill, rolling any past-due balance into your three-to-five-year repayment plan.7United States Courts. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Basics You can also reject the contract. The decision to assume or reject must happen before your repayment plan is confirmed, though AT&T or the trustee can ask the court to set an earlier deadline.8Legal Information Institute. Rule 6006 – Assuming, Rejecting, or Assigning an Executory Contract or Unexpired Lease
If you reject the contract under either chapter, AT&T can disconnect and require the return of leased equipment such as modems or cable boxes. Any early termination fee arising from that rejection is treated as a prepetition unsecured claim, so it discharges with your other debts rather than surviving as a new obligation.
Think Carefully Before Reaffirming an AT&T Debt
Reaffirmation is the most consequential decision you’ll make about your AT&T account in Chapter 7. When you reaffirm, you agree to keep paying a specific debt as though the bankruptcy never happened. The debt survives your discharge, and AT&T can pursue you for the full balance if you later default.
To be enforceable, a reaffirmation agreement must be signed before the court grants your discharge, filed with the court, and accompanied by specific disclosures about the financial consequences.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 U.S. Code 524 – Effect of Discharge If you had an attorney during negotiations, that attorney must certify that you entered it voluntarily and that it won’t impose undue hardship. Without an attorney, the court must independently approve the agreement.
You have a built-in escape hatch. You can cancel the agreement any time before your discharge is entered, or within 60 days after the agreement is filed with the court, whichever is later, by notifying AT&T in writing that you’re rescinding.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 U.S. Code 524 – Effect of Discharge Most bankruptcy attorneys will tell you to think hard before reaffirming a debt for a depreciating device like a phone. The point of filing was a fresh start, and reaffirmation puts that particular debt back on your shoulders.
If AT&T Keeps Trying to Collect After You File
Contact from AT&T about a prepetition debt after filing may be a violation of the automatic stay. It happens more often than you’d expect, usually because automated systems keep generating collection notices or calls before the account is flagged internally. A past-due balance sometimes appears on a bill generated after the filing date.
If AT&T willfully violates the stay, you can recover actual damages, court costs, and attorney fees, and in egregious cases the court can award punitive damages.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 362 – Automatic Stay “Willful” here does not mean AT&T intended to break the law. It means AT&T knew about the bankruptcy and took the collection action anyway. Once you’ve sent proper notice to the bankruptcy center, continued collection activity is much harder for AT&T to defend.
Before running to the court, call the bankruptcy team at 833-870-0535 or send a follow-up to the bankruptcy center address. Many stay violations from large companies are genuine system errors that get corrected once a human reviews the account. Document every contact attempt and keep copies of any collection notices dated after your filing. If the violations continue after AT&T has been put on notice, your attorney can file a motion for sanctions with the bankruptcy court.
Keep Paying for Service You Want to Keep
Even after AT&T processes your bankruptcy notice, keep paying for any service you intend to use going forward. The automatic stay only protects you from collection on prepetition debt. If you stop paying the current monthly bill for ongoing service, AT&T can disconnect you for nonpayment of that new, post-petition charge.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 U.S. Code 366 – Utility Service The distinction between old debt and new debt trips up filers who assume bankruptcy freezes everything.