How Much Does It Cost to File Bankruptcy?
Three costs. Court filing fees are roughly $300 to $350 (payable in installments, and waivable entirely in Chapter 7 for filers under 150 percent of the poverty line). The two required counseling courses cost tens of dollars, also waivable for low-income filers. Attorney fees are the big line, commonly about $1,000 to $3,500 for Chapter 7, paid before filing, and about $3,000 to $6,000 for Chapter 13, mostly paid through the plan itself.
There is a bitter little joke in every bankruptcy consultation: it costs money to tell the court you have no money. True. But the costs are more manageable than people fear, the system has real relief valves for the broke, and the expensive version of this decision is usually the one where you do nothing. Here are the actual numbers, as ranges, because several of them change on a schedule.
Cost one: the court filing fee
Filing fees are set nationally and currently sit at roughly $300 to $350 per case (Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 differ by a few dollars; check uscourts.gov for the current figure). One case means one fee, a married couple filing jointly pays once.
Two relief valves:
- Installments. The court will let you split the fee into payments after filing.
- Full waiver, Chapter 7 only. If your income is under 150 percent of the federal poverty line and you cannot manage installments, the fee can be waived entirely. There is no waiver in Chapter 13, by design, since 13 is built around a payment plan.
Cost two: the two required courses
Federal law requires credit counseling before filing and a debtor education course after filing, before discharge. Both are done online or by phone through approved providers, both cost modest amounts (typically tens of dollars each), and both offer fee waivers for low-income filers. Budget accordingly and then forget about this line; it is the smallest number on the page and the most commonly forgotten requirement.
Cost three: the attorney, the real number
Here is the line that decides most budgets, presented honestly.
Chapter 7: flat fees commonly run about $1,000 to $3,500, varying by city and complexity, and they are generally paid before filing. (There is a structural reason: fees still owed at filing would be a dischargeable debt, so Chapter 7 lawyers collect first.)
Chapter 13: commonly about $3,000 to $6,000, typically set by district "no-look" fee guidelines. The number looks worse and often feels better, because most of it is paid through the plan, folded into the same monthly payment the case is built around. This is the quiet reason a cash-strapped family that cannot scrape together a Chapter 7 retainer can still walk into court represented in a Chapter 13.
Is the fee worth it? The outcome data is blunt, and we lay it out in do you need a lawyer: represented Chapter 7 cases reach discharge roughly 94 to 98 percent of the time, while pro se filers see far more dismissals and paperwork casualties, and pro se Chapter 13 succeeds at rates close to zero. For 13, treat counsel as non-optional.
If you genuinely cannot pay anyone
Real options, in the order to try them: Upsolve, a nonprofit whose free tool prepares simple, qualifying Chapter 7 cases; legal aid offices and pro bono programs through local bar associations; and law school clinics in many cities. The fee waiver plus a free preparer can bring a simple Chapter 7 to nearly zero out of pocket.
Put the number next to the right comparison
A four-figure all-in cost is real money for a family in crisis. Now price the alternative: years of minimum payments where interest outruns principal, a garnishment taking a slice of every check, settlement companies charging performance fees on "savings" that get taxed as income. Against that ledger, bankruptcy is routinely the cheapest exit in the room. Understand what you would get for the money, then decide with real numbers, yours.
Related questions
Can you file bankruptcy with no money?
Often, yes. The Chapter 7 filing fee can be paid in installments or fully waived for filers with income under 150 percent of the poverty line, counseling course fees are waivable, and free help exists, Upsolve's nonprofit tool for simple Chapter 7 cases, legal aid offices, and pro bono programs.
Why is Chapter 13 more expensive than Chapter 7?
The case runs 3 to 5 years and involves building and administering a repayment plan, so attorney fees are higher, commonly $3,000 to $6,000 under court fee guidelines. The practical offset, most of that fee is paid through the monthly plan payment, not up front.
Is it cheaper to file bankruptcy without a lawyer?
Up front, yes, you save the attorney fee. In outcomes, often no. Represented Chapter 7 cases succeed at very high rates while pro se cases see far more dismissals and lost property, and pro se Chapter 13 almost never reaches discharge. Cheap that fails is expensive.
This is education, not legal advice. Bankruptcy law is federal, but exemptions and key details vary by state, and every situation is different. Nothing here creates an attorney-client relationship. Before you make decisions about your finances, talk to a licensed bankruptcy attorney in your state. This article should make that conversation easier, not replace it.