50 State U.S. Bankruptcy Guide

How to File for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Steps for filing bankruptcy in your state, from learning whether you qualify, to completing and filing bankruptcy forms, to discharging your debts and getting on with your life.

Do I Qualify for Bankruptcy? Bankruptcy Means Test Standards for My County

A mathematical formula—called the means test—determines whether you qualify for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in your state.

Alternatives to Filing for Bankruptcy

If your creditors will negotiate, if bankruptcy can't cancel most of your debts, or if you're truly broke, bankruptcy may not be the best solution for you. Here's how to decide.

How Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Works

How Chapter 7 bankruptcy can help you cancel your debts, protect your exempt property, and stop bill collectors.

How Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Works

You can use Chapter 13 bankruptcy to get out from under the burden of your debts, protect important property, and stop bill collectors.

How Much Does It Cost to File for Bankruptcy?

Tips for keeping bankruptcy costs down, from court filing fees to mandatory counseling costs to getting legal help.

Where to File for Bankruptcy

Most people file for bankruptcy in the federal district court closest to where they've lived for the past six months.

Means Test Calculator for your county

Means Test Calculator - By County

State Median Income Test

The means test initially looks to see if your household income is above or below median for a household your size in your state.

Means Test Calculator Table of Contents

The means test spans three forms and more than 50 questions about your income and expenses. Here's a line by line TOC with direct links to our Means Test Calculator.

50-State Bankruptcy Exemptions for 2020

A quick summary of the main exemptions under your state law.

Does My State Have a Homestead Exemption? How much Is it?

How much of your home equity is protected if you file for bankruptcy?

State Motor Vehicle Exemption

Can I Use the Federal Exemptions in My State?

Federal bankruptcy law has its own list of exemptions 11 U.S.C. § 522, but some states require you to use the state exemptions instead, while others offer a choice.

What is CM/ECF?

Am I required to file electronically?

What does "pro se" mean?

Will the court staff explain the filing procedure to me?

What is a 341 Hearing?

Glossary of Important Terms You're Likely to find in Court Websites

What does "pro bono" mean

Required Forms & Fees

Basic Forms You Will Need In Any Court

Getting Help With Forms & Filing

Free PDF Downloadable Bankruptcy Forms

Basic Forms You Will Need in Any Court

Local Forms Required by the Pennsylvania Western District Bankruptcy Court

Getting help with forms and filing

How to Find a Bankruptcy Lawyer in

Ten Ways a Bankruptcy Lawyer Can Help You

Directories of $_____ Bankruptcy Attorneys

What Should I Expect From a Bankruptcy Lawyer

Should You Use a Bankruptcy Petition Preparer (BPP)?

If you need clerical help -- not legal help -- a bankruptcy petition preparer can produce your bankruptcy court forms for a reasonable fee.

Can Bankruptcy Keep Me From Being Evicted?

Can bankruptcy help stop an eviction? Well, it can delay it, for an extra month or two, in some cases, in some states, if you file early enough in the eviction process. And bankruptcy can be part of a broader financial strategy to keep a roof over your head. But you'll want to see a lawyer sooner rather than later to take full advantage of your options.

Selected Articles about Bankruptcy and the Coronavirus

The best of what's out there on the web about how to use bankruptcy law to protect your assets during the Covid-19 recession.

CDC Bans Evictions Through December - Extended to January 2021

Find out how the CDC eviction ban works in your state. We're tracking down the latest tools and information on the internet or you to use.

Best Mortgage forbearance and COVID-19 Resources on the Internet

We've gathered links to best information on the web on the subject of COVID-19 legislation and resources that can help you keep your home during this economic crisis. We've gathered the best stuff all into the one article. -- Bookmark this page. We will revise it as we find new sources

CAREs Act Changes to the Bankruptcy Code

Congress made a few important changes to the bankruptcy laws. Here’s a summary of what’s changed.

CAREs Act Changes to Official Means TestForms 122A-1, 122B, and 122C-1

The CARES Act made an important change to the means test form to indicate that payments under the CARES act are NOT included in determining median income. This could be a great boon to those thinking of filing.

Bankruptcy as Part of Your COVID-19 Financial Plan

While the timing for filing for bankruptcy may not be right NOW, the time to talk to a bankruptcy attorney IS now, so you can take full advantage of the financial protections that bankruptcy law can provide, and not make "financial mistakes" in the next 18 months.

LC Bankruptcy Newsfeed

What We're Reading about Bankruptcy, Debt and Credit. Timely, useful articles, from reliable sources.

Daily News on Bankruptcy

Where to read up on news about about debt, credit, and bankruptcy.

Credit Card news & Info

Bankruptcy & Economic Statistics

Economic Statistics that relate to bankruptcy, such as savings rates, default rates, and outstanding consumer debt, secured and unsecured, like credit card debt, student loan debt, and auto loans.

50-State Exemption Updates

If there's changes in your state’s exemptions, here's where you'll find out about them.

Other Free Audio/Video About the Debt & Credit Industry

Good videos and audio information about bankruptcy, for those who listen better than they read...

Tweets by @meanstest

What we're Tweeting, in our twitter accounts @meanstest (for bankruptcy) and @lawbyzip

Blog

The latest from our blog on news and legislation that affects consumers.