Can You File for Bankruptcy Online? Forms, Fees, and Filing

You can file for bankruptcy online in most federal districts. How you do it depends on whether you have a lawyer: attorneys submit petitions through the courts’ Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system, and people representing themselves upload documents through separate pro se portals that many bankruptcy courts now run. Either route still requires the same pre-filing counseling, the same detailed forms, and the same court fees, which start at $338 for a Chapter 7 case.

Where You File Online

The federal courts run two parallel electronic systems. CM/ECF is the primary platform and handles the vast majority of bankruptcy filings nationwide.¹ To use it, an attorney needs a PACER account and court-specific filing credentials. It is available around the clock, and each document filed automatically updates the case docket.²

If you don’t have a lawyer, you generally can’t access CM/ECF directly. Instead, a growing number of bankruptcy courts offer separate portals for unrepresented filers, sometimes called Electronic Document Submission Systems. The Central District of California launched one in January 2021 that works like a digital mailbox: you upload your completed forms through a web browser, and the clerk’s office processes them as though you mailed or hand-delivered them.³ Not every district has a portal yet. Check with your local bankruptcy court before you assume online submission is available where you live.

Once your case is filed, anyone with a PACER account can track docket activity and view filed documents online. You don’t need an attorney to create a PACER account, and it gives you real-time access to your case information from any computer.⁴

Complete Credit Counseling First

Federal law bars you from filing until you complete a credit counseling briefing. Under 11 U.S.C. § 109(h), every individual filer must receive the briefing within the 180 days before filing the petition.⁵ The session can be done by phone or over the internet, but it must come from a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Trustee Program.⁶

The briefing walks through your budget, outlines alternatives to bankruptcy, and helps you evaluate whether a debt management plan could work instead. You’ll receive a certificate of completion. Without it, the court will dismiss your case. Most approved agencies charge between $20 and $50 for the session, though some offer it free for people who can’t afford the fee.

There is a narrow emergency exception. If you face a crisis like an imminent foreclosure, you can file without the certificate as long as you requested counseling and couldn’t get an appointment within seven days. Even then, the court will give you only 30 days (with a possible 15-day extension) to finish the requirement.⁵

Pick the Right Chapter Before You Prepare Forms

The chapter you file under changes which forms you upload and how much you pay. Individuals typically choose between two.

Chapter 7 is a liquidation. A court-appointed trustee can sell your non-exempt property and use the proceeds to pay creditors, and most remaining debts are then wiped out. The process typically takes three to four months. To qualify, your income must fall below your state’s median for your household size, or you must pass the means test on Official Form 122A-1. You can’t file Chapter 7 if you received a Chapter 7 discharge within the last eight years. The U.S. Trustee Program publishes updated median figures twice a year, in April and November, based on Census Bureau data.⁷

Chapter 13 is a repayment plan. You keep your property and pay back all or part of your debts over three to five years under a court-approved budget. It works well if you have steady income and want to protect assets like a home from foreclosure. You can’t file Chapter 13 if you received a Chapter 13 discharge within the last two years. Chapter 13 uses the same core forms as Chapter 7 but adds a detailed repayment plan on Official Form 113.

Forms and Documents You’ll Upload

Bankruptcy paperwork is exhaustive by design. The court wants a complete picture of everything you own, everyone you owe, and every dollar you’ve earned or spent recently. All official forms are available for free from the U.S. Courts website. The core documents are:

Official Form 101, the Voluntary Petition for Individuals Filing for Bankruptcy, which opens your case and identifies you, your address, and the chapter you’re filing under.⁸
Official Form 106 (Schedules A through J), a set of schedules listing all of your real estate, personal property, secured and unsecured debts, income, and monthly expenses.
Official Form 107, the Statement of Financial Affairs, covering your financial history including income sources, property transfers, lawsuits, and gifts made in recent years.
Official Form 122A-1 (Chapter 7) or 122C-1 (Chapter 13), the means test calculation.

You’ll also need supporting documents that don’t get filed as forms but must be available. Federal law requires copies of all pay stubs or other proof of income received within 60 days before your filing date.⁹ Have your most recent federal tax return ready too, along with bank statements, mortgage documents, car loan paperwork, and any records of property transfers from the past two years.

Accuracy on these forms is not optional. Concealing assets or lying on bankruptcy documents is a federal felony under 18 U.S.C. § 152, punishable by up to five years in prison and fines up to $250,000.¹⁰¹¹ Even honest mistakes can lead to a dismissed case or a denied discharge, so double-check every number.

Fees and How to Pay Them

The total cost to file a Chapter 7 case is $338, which includes a $245 statutory filing fee plus administrative and trustee surcharges set by the Judicial Conference.¹² For Chapter 13, the total is $313. Most courts accept payment by debit card or electronic check through their filing portals.

If you can’t pay all at once, the court can let you split the fee into up to four installments. All payments must be completed within 120 days of filing, though the court can extend the deadline for the final installment to 180 days.¹³

In a Chapter 7 case only, the court can waive the entire fee if your household income is below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines and you can’t afford installments. For 2026, the poverty guideline for a single person in most states is $15,960, so the 150% threshold is $23,940. A family of four would need income below $49,500.¹²¹⁴ Fee waivers are not available in Chapter 13 cases. Plan to pay the full $313 when you file a Chapter 13 petition.

Uploading the Petition

With your forms completed and saved as PDFs, the submission itself is relatively straightforward. Log into your court’s pro se portal, upload each document in the order the court’s local rules specify, and follow the prompts. Each court has its own local rules about document naming, page order, and formatting, so check your court’s website before uploading.

Electronic signatures work in most courts. A filing made through your account with your name on the signature block generally counts as your signature.¹⁵ Some courts still want a scanned declaration with a handwritten signature, so confirm the specific requirements first. After you upload the documents and pay the fee (or submit an installment or waiver application), the system generates your case number.

Redact Before You Submit

Bankruptcy filings are public records, and anyone can look them up. Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9037 requires you to redact sensitive personal identifiers before you upload any document. Include only:

The last four digits of your Social Security number.
The last four digits of any taxpayer identification number.
The year of your birth, not the full date.
The last four digits of any financial account number.
Initials only for minor children’s names.

This is your responsibility, not the court’s. If you upload a form with your full Social Security number visible, it becomes part of the public record. Review every page of every document before hitting submit.¹⁶

What Happens After You File

The moment your petition is on file, the automatic stay under 11 U.S.C. § 362 kicks in. Creditors must stop virtually all collection activity: no more collection calls, no wage garnishments, no foreclosure proceedings, and no new lawsuits over pre-filing debts.¹⁷ The stay is not permanent, and creditors can ask the court to lift it in certain circumstances, but it gives you immediate breathing room.

Within roughly 30 to 45 days after filing, you’ll attend a meeting of creditors, often called a 341 meeting. A trustee assigned to your case will ask questions about your financial situation and verify the information in your forms. Creditors are allowed to attend and ask questions too, though most don’t bother in straightforward consumer cases. Many districts now hold these meetings by video conference through platforms like Zoom rather than requiring you to appear in person at the courthouse.¹⁸

There is a second course you can’t skip. Before the court will grant your discharge, you must complete a debtor education course covering personal financial management from an approved provider.¹⁹ This is a different course from the pre-filing briefing. Skipping it means your debts won’t be discharged, which defeats the entire purpose of filing. Like the pre-filing session, it must come from a U.S. Trustee Program–approved provider and can be done online.⁶

Should You File Without a Lawyer

Being able to file online without a lawyer doesn’t mean you should. The federal courts themselves say that seeking the advice of a qualified attorney is “strongly recommended” because bankruptcy has long-term financial and legal consequences, and misunderstanding the law or making mistakes “can affect your rights.”²⁰

Pro se filers are held to the same standards as attorneys. You’re expected to know the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, and your court’s local rules. Missing a deadline, miscalculating exemptions, or failing to disclose a bank account doesn’t get a pass because you didn’t have a lawyer. The consequences range from a dismissed case to losing property you could have legally protected.

Bankruptcy petition preparers can help you type up forms, but they are legally prohibited from giving legal advice, explaining your options, or representing you in court. If someone other than a licensed attorney offers to “handle” your bankruptcy, be cautious about what that actually means. Attorney fees for a straightforward Chapter 7 case typically range from $1,000 to $2,500 depending on your location and the complexity of your finances. A botched pro se filing can cost far more if it results in losing assets that proper exemption planning would have protected, or if your case gets dismissed and you have to start over.

1
U.S. Courts. Electronic Filing (CM/ECF)
2
U.S. Courts. FAQs: Case Management / Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF)
3
United States District Court, Central District of California. Electronic Document Submission System for People Without Lawyers
4
United States Courts. Find a Case (PACER)
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 U.S. Code 109 – Who May Be a Debtor
6
U.S. Courts. Credit Counseling and Debtor Education Courses
7
U.S. Trustee Program. Means Testing
8
United States Courts. Voluntary Petition for Individuals Filing for Bankruptcy
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 U.S. Code 521 – Debtor’s Duties
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 152 – Concealment of Assets; False Oaths and Claims; Bribery
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 3571 – Sentence of Fine
12
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1930 – Bankruptcy Fees
13
Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure Rule 1006 – Filing Fee
14
Federal Register. Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines
15
Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure Rule 8011 – Filing and Service; Signature
16
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. Rule 9037 – Privacy Protection for Filings Made With the Court
17
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 U.S. Code 362 – Automatic Stay
18
U.S. Trustee Program. Region 5 – Local Section 341 Meeting Information
19
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 U.S. Code 727 – Discharge
20
United States Courts. Filing Without an Attorney