Bankruptcy fees for an individual filer usually land between $1,500 and $2,900 for Chapter 7 and between $2,800 and $6,300 for Chapter 13. Court filing charges and the two required counseling courses are fixed and modest; almost all of the variation comes from what you pay a lawyer, and Chapter 13 costs more because the case runs for years rather than months.
Court Filing Fees
Every case starts with a fee paid to the court clerk. Chapter 7 totals $338, made up of a $245 filing fee, a $78 administrative fee, and a $15 trustee surcharge.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1930 – Bankruptcy Fees2United States Courts. Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule Chapter 13 totals $313: a $235 filing fee and the same $78 administrative fee, with no trustee surcharge.
If you cannot pay in full at filing, you can apply to pay in up to four installments spread over 120 days from the filing date.3Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure Rule 1006 – Filing Fee Both chapters allow installments. Missing a scheduled payment can lead to dismissal, and a dismissal within the prior year limits the automatic stay protection you receive on any refiling.
A full fee waiver exists only in Chapter 7. To qualify, your household income must fall below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, and you must be unable to pay even in installments.3Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure Rule 1006 – Filing Fee For 2026, that threshold in the contiguous 48 states is roughly $23,940 for a single person and $49,500 for a family of four.4U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines Chapter 13 has no waiver at all; installments are the only relief.
Required Counseling Courses
Federal law makes every individual filer take two separate courses before the court will grant a discharge.5United States Courts. Credit Counseling and Debtor Education Courses The first is credit counseling, completed within the 180 days before you file.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 109 – Who May Be a Debtor The second is a debtor education course on personal financial management, taken after filing but before discharge.7United States Department of Justice. Credit Counseling and Debtor Education Information
Providers must be approved by the U.S. Trustee Program, or the Bankruptcy Administrator in Alabama and North Carolina.5United States Courts. Credit Counseling and Debtor Education Courses Most charge $10 to $50 per course, so plan on roughly $20 to $100 total for both. Providers are required by law to offer reduced fees or waivers if you cannot afford the standard price, and many run the courses online or by phone.
Attorney Fees for Chapter 7
Chapter 7 lawyers almost always charge a flat fee covering the whole case: preparing and filing the petition, dealing with creditors, and representing you at the 341 Meeting of Creditors where the trustee questions you under oath. Flat fees for routine cases usually fall between $1,000 and $2,500. Business assets, contested exemptions, or secured debt fights push the number higher.
Here’s the wrinkle that trips people up: the fee has to be paid in full before the case is filed. It isn’t just attorney preference. The moment your petition is filed, the automatic stay stops virtually all collection activity for debts that arose before that filing.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 362 – Automatic Stay An unpaid attorney balance is one of those pre-filing debts, so trying to collect it after filing would violate the stay, and the discharge would likely wipe it out anyway.
That upfront requirement is a real barrier. If you are already behind on rent, coming up with $1,500 or more before the process can even start feels backwards. Some attorneys will let you pay across a few weeks or months, but nothing gets filed until the retainer is complete.
Attorney Fees for Chapter 13
Chapter 13 fees are built differently, and that difference works in your favor when cash is tight. Totals typically run $2,500 to $6,000, reflecting the heavier workload: drafting a repayment plan, negotiating with creditors, going to confirmation hearings, and handling whatever comes up over the three to five years the plan lasts.
Most of that money does not have to be paid before filing. You usually put down a smaller retainer, often a few hundred dollars, and the balance is folded into your plan as an administrative expense. The Chapter 13 trustee pays your attorney out of your monthly plan payments. That structure lets you file and get the automatic stay quickly even if you can’t cover the full fee up front.
Many courts use a “no-look” fee: a preset amount treated as presumptively reasonable for routine cases, approved without detailed billing records. Amounts vary by district, but figures in the $3,500 to $5,000 range are common. Attorneys handling complex cases can request more by filing a detailed application showing time and services.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 330 – Compensation of Officers
Extra Fees During a Chapter 13 Plan
The initial fee covers standard plan services, but a lot can happen in three to five years. Lose a job, take a pay cut, face an unexpected expense, and you may need a plan modification, which means an amended plan and another hearing. Those post-confirmation services are billed separately, typically hourly, and require their own court approval. A creditor motion you need to respond to works the same way. If your financial situation is likely to shift, budget a cushion beyond the initial quote.
Filing Without an Attorney
You are allowed to file either chapter on your own; the courts call it filing “pro se.”10United States Courts. Filing Without an Attorney Doing so removes the biggest line item entirely. For a pro se Chapter 7, the out-of-pocket cost can be as low as $360 to $440, covering only the court fee and the two courses.
The risk is genuine. The forms are dense, the rules are strict, and court employees and judges are prohibited by law from giving you legal advice.10United States Courts. Filing Without an Attorney Exemption mistakes can cost you property. Means test errors can get the case dismissed. Missed deadlines can forfeit your discharge. Pro se is most realistic for straightforward Chapter 7 cases with no real property, no business debts, and income clearly below the state median. Chapter 13 is far harder to manage alone because drafting a plan and complying with it for years is legal work.
If you cannot afford a private attorney but the case is too complex to handle alone, look at legal aid organizations in your area. Many run panels of attorneys who take bankruptcy cases at reduced or deferred fees, and some law school clinics handle Chapter 7 filings at no cost for qualifying individuals.
Other Costs to Budget For
A few smaller costs come up depending on your circumstances:
- Bankruptcy petition preparers. If you file pro se and want form-completion help, a non-attorney preparer can assist for a fee. Federal law requires them to disclose their charges and forbids them from giving legal advice, and courts can disallow fees that exceed the value of the work.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 110 – Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
- Property appraisals. If you own a home or other valuable property, you may need a professional appraisal for your schedules. A single-family home appraisal typically runs $575 to $1,300.
- Case conversion. Converting Chapter 13 to Chapter 7 costs $10; Chapter 12 to Chapter 7 is $45.2United States Courts. Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule
- Tax returns. You must provide pay stubs for the 60 days before filing along with recent returns. Pulling documents you already have is free, but if you have unfiled returns, a tax preparer’s fee becomes part of your bankruptcy budget.
The means test itself is worth flagging on the cost side, even though it’s an eligibility rule. If your income clears the state median and the formula pushes you out of Chapter 7 and into Chapter 13, your attorney fee expectations change with it. Some lawyers include the means test analysis in their standard fee; others charge separately when income is complicated, especially for self-employed filers. Ask upfront what happens to your fee if the means test moves you to Chapter 13.12United States Courts. Chapter 7 – Bankruptcy Basics
Court and course costs are fixed and small. Attorney fees are where the real range lives, and Chapter 13’s ability to spread most of that fee across your plan payments is often the deciding factor for filers who cannot assemble a large retainer.