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General Information - All E-Filers

You need an individual PACER account. 

Shared PACER accounts cannot be used by CM/ECF users.

Legacy PACER accounts must be upgraded.

If your individual PACER account was created prior to August 11, 2014, you must upgrade it. Upgrading your PACER account can be accomplished via the Manage My Account Login on the PACER website.

Linking a New or Upgraded PACER Account to an existing CM/ECF Account

You must do this to be able to e-file in NextGen.

If you do not know your current CM/ECF login and password, you can contact the court during regular business hours at (515) 284-6230 to have your password reset for account-linking purposes.

Once your CM/ECF account and your PACER account are linked, you will use the PACER login for CM/ECF access in the Iowa Southern Bankruptcy Court. Your old CM/ECF login and password will no longer be valid.  Note: After your account has been linked, the court will no longer be able to reset logins and passwords. You will have to contact PACER to recover logins or reset passwords.

Once your accounts are linked, you will have the same access as you had before.  If you do not see the appropriate menus (Bankruptcy or Adversary, etc.), try the following:

  • Clearing your cache (i.e., internet cookies, browsing history).
  • Log out and log back in.
  • Refresh your screen.

PACER Administrative Accounts (PAA)

You can have one PACER account for support staff and non-e-filing attorneys to view documents. Only attorneys who e-file need to have their own individual PACER account.

Firms can set up a PAA to manage user accounts and maintain central billing for PACER access fees.

Saving Payment Information for PACER and CM/ECF Filing Fees

There is no fee to register for PACER in order to e-file in NextGen CM/ECF. There is only a fee from PACER for viewing documents.

Saving or storing payment information is accomplished by selecting the Manage My Account tab on the PACER website. From there, select the Payments tab. 

If you receive an error message while trying to Query documents and/or logging in to PACER, and you did not provide a credit card number when you registered, the error message likely means your PACER account has not yet been activated. Contact PACER to have it activated or wait for the PACER activation to arrive in the mail.