What bankruptcy really costs to file
The court fee is a few hundred dollars. The attorney is the big line.
- The Chapter 7 court filing fee runs about $338, and it can be waived or paid in installments.
- An attorney is usually the biggest cost — often $1,000 to $2,000 or more.
- Two courses are required. Each costs a small amount, with waivers for low income.
- The catch: bankruptcy costs money you may not have — but waivers and no-cost help exist.
Put a real number on it
Illustrative — court fees are set nationally; attorney and course fees vary by district.
The court filing fee, and how to lower it
Every bankruptcy starts with a fee paid to the court. It is a few hundred dollars — about $338 for Chapter 7 and about $313 for Chapter 13. These are illustrative; the court sets them nationally and they change over time.
Here is the part people miss. This fee is not fixed for everyone. If your income sits below roughly 150% of the poverty line, you can ask the court to waive the Chapter 7 fee. If you earn a little more, you can ask to pay it in installments over a few months instead of all at once.
The attorney fee is the biggest cost
The lawyer is where most of the money goes. A Chapter 7 attorney fee often runs $1,000 to $2,000 or more. What you pay depends on your district and how complex your case is.
Chapter 13 attorney fees are usually higher, because the case runs for years. But there is a trade-off in your favor: a Chapter 13 attorney fee can often be folded into your repayment plan, so you pay it over time rather than up front.
You do not always need a lawyer. For a simple case with few assets, some people file Chapter 7 on their own. Read do you need a lawyer and filing without a lawyer before you assume this line is fixed.
The two required courses
The law requires two short courses. You take credit counseling before you file, and a debtor education course after. Each costs a small amount — often somewhere from $0 to about $100 total — and low-income filers can have the fee waived.
Add it up
Here is a rough Chapter 7 total, with a lawyer:
Court filing fee ·············· $338
Two required courses ······· $0–$100
Attorney fee ················· $1,000–$2,000+
Total, with a lawyer ···· ≈ $1,338–$2,438+
File Chapter 7 on your own for a simple case and you can drop the attorney line entirely, leaving the court fee and the courses — which may be waived if your income is low.
Bankruptcy exists for people who are out of money, yet it charges a fee to file. That is a real paradox, and it stops some people before they start.
So don't let the price alone rule it out. A fee waiver can cover the court cost, no-cost legal aid can cover the lawyer, and a simple Chapter 7 can be filed without one. The sticker price is not the final price.