Filing for bankruptcy runs anywhere from about $400 if you handle a simple Chapter 7 yourself to $4,000 or more with an attorney, and Chapter 13 keeps costing you across a three-to-five-year repayment plan. So the honest answer to how much it costs to file for bankruptcy depends on two things: which chapter you file under, and whether you hire a lawyer. The court’s own filing fee is a small slice of the total. Everything else — attorney fees, mandatory courses, trustee commissions, document costs — is where the real money goes.
What the Court Charges to File
Federal law sets the filing fees, so they don’t change based on which courthouse you use. Chapter 7 costs $338 total: a $245 filing fee, a $78 administrative fee, and a $15 trustee surcharge. Chapter 13 costs $313: a $235 filing fee plus the same $78 administrative fee, with no trustee surcharge.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1930 – Bankruptcy Fees2United States Courts. Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule
The Judicial Conference of the United States adjusts these amounts from time to time. Check the current fee schedule before you file.
The Two Required Courses
Every bankruptcy filer has to complete two courses from agencies approved by the U.S. Trustee Program. The first is a credit counseling session you must finish within 180 days before you file your petition.3U.S. Department of Justice. Frequently Asked Questions FAQs – Credit Counseling The second is a debtor education course on financial management, taken after your case is filed. The court will not grant your discharge until you complete it.
Each course typically costs $50 or less and can be done online or by phone. If your household income falls below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, agencies are generally required to reduce or waive the fee.3U.S. Department of Justice. Frequently Asked Questions FAQs – Credit Counseling For a single-person household in 2026, that threshold is $23,940.4HHS ASPE. 2026 Poverty Guidelines – 48 Contiguous States You pay the agency directly.
Attorney Fees
This is by far the biggest variable, and the structure looks very different depending on which chapter you file.
Chapter 7
Chapter 7 lawyers almost always charge a flat fee, and they collect it in full before filing your petition. That’s because the automatic stay that starts at filing would otherwise make it hard for them to collect. Typical fees run $1,500 to $2,500. Simple cases in lower-cost areas sometimes come in around $1,000. Cases with significant assets, business interests, or adversary proceedings cost more. Your local market, the attorney’s experience, and the complexity of your creditors and assets all drive the number.
Chapter 13
Chapter 13 attorney fees run higher — commonly $3,500 to $6,000 — because the work stretches across the three-to-five-year plan. Many courts set “presumptively reasonable” or “no-look” fees the judge will approve without detailed billing records as long as they fall within local guidelines. The amounts vary by district.
One important difference: in Chapter 13, the court usually lets you pay a portion of the attorney fee through your monthly plan payments instead of demanding it all upfront. If you need immediate protection from foreclosure or repossession but don’t have thousands in cash, that structure is often what makes filing possible at all.
Before you sign a fee agreement, ask for a written breakdown of what’s included and what would trigger extra charges. A low flat fee that excludes post-filing motions or plan modifications can end up costing more than a higher one that covers your case start to finish. Get quotes from two or three attorneys.
The Chapter 13 Trustee’s Cut
Here’s the cost most Chapter 13 filers don’t see coming. A standing Chapter 13 trustee collects a percentage of every monthly plan payment you make, up to 10%.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 586 – Duties; Supervision by Attorney General The actual rate varies by district; some set it at 6% or 8%. The trustee uses the money to run their office and administer the plan.
Practically, this means your plan payment is bigger than the amount reaching creditors. On a $30,000 five-year plan with an 8% trustee rate, roughly $2,400 of your total payments covers trustee compensation rather than your debt. It’s built into the monthly figure the court approves, so there’s no separate bill, but factor it into what Chapter 13 really costs you over the life of the case.
Filing on Your Own
You can file bankruptcy without a lawyer, which the courts call filing “pro se.” The forms are free, so your only unavoidable costs are the court filing fee and the two required courses.6United States Courts. Filing Without an Attorney That gets a bare-bones Chapter 7 filing down to roughly $400 to $440.
The federal courts are direct about the risks. You have to follow the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, and your local court’s rules with the same precision as a licensed attorney, and court staff and judges are prohibited from giving you legal advice.6United States Courts. Filing Without an Attorney A mistake on your petition can cost you property you were entitled to keep, or get your case dismissed. Pro se filing is realistic for a straightforward Chapter 7 with few assets. Chapter 13, with its multi-year plan, is significantly riskier to handle alone.
If You Can’t Afford the Filing Fee
Two options exist, and they work differently.
For Chapter 7 only, the court can waive the entire filing fee if your household income is below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines and you can’t pay even in installments.7United States Courts. Bankruptcy Case Policies – Guide to Judiciary Policy You file a formal application with your petition detailing your income and expenses. A full waiver is not available in Chapter 13.8Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure Rule 1006 – Filing Fee
In any chapter, you can ask the court to let you pay the filing fee in up to four installments over 120 days, extendable to 180 days for good cause.8Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure Rule 1006 – Filing Fee Missing an installment deadline is one of the fastest ways to get your case dismissed, which strips away the automatic stay protecting you from creditors. Treat the schedule as non-negotiable.
Other Costs You Should Budget For
Building a complete petition means gathering financial records, and some carry price tags. A merged credit report covering all three bureaus runs $30 to $90. IRS tax transcripts are free directly from the IRS. If you own a home, a professional appraisal to establish current market value typically costs $200 to $600. Printing, postage, and certified mail for creditor notices add small amounts. Collectively, document costs can add $100 to $500 or more.
Post-filing court fees can also hit you if the case doesn’t go smoothly. Adding a creditor you missed costs $34, though correcting an address is free. Converting from Chapter 13 to Chapter 7 costs $25; going the other direction is free. Reopening a closed Chapter 7 case costs $260, and $235 for Chapter 13.2United States Courts. Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule None of these are huge on their own, but a dismissed case reopened later is a painful surprise.
What the Total Actually Looks Like
Three realistic scenarios, based on the numbers above:
- Chapter 7 without an attorney: $338 filing fee, roughly $50 to $100 for the two courses, plus document costs. Budget $400 to $550.
- Chapter 7 with an attorney: the same court and course costs plus $1,500 to $2,500 in legal fees. Budget $2,000 to $3,000.
- Chapter 13 with an attorney: $313 filing fee, $50 to $100 in courses, $3,500 to $6,000 in attorney fees (a portion often paid through the plan), plus a trustee commission of up to 10% on every plan payment. The upfront cost is lower than Chapter 7 with a lawyer because fees can be folded into the plan, but the total over the life of the case is substantially higher.
The attorney fee is the number with the most room to move. Shop it carefully, and make sure any quote you compare lists exactly what work is included.