If you're worried you can't afford to file, start here. This page lays out every cost in plain numbers — the court's fixed filing fees, what actually determines the attorney fee, and the help built into the law when money is tight. No teaser rates, no fine print.
Every bankruptcy case starts with a filing fee paid to the federal court. It's set by the court system itself, not by your attorney, and it's the same no matter which law firm you hire: $338 for Chapter 7 and $313 for Chapter 13. Any firm quoting you something different for this piece is folding other charges into it.
And if money is tight — for most people filing bankruptcy, it is — the court has two built-in ways to help. You can apply to pay the filing fee in installments instead of all at once. And in Chapter 7, if your household income is below 150% of the federal poverty line, you can ask the court to waive the fee entirely. We'll tell you at your consultation whether you qualify, and we prepare the application as part of your case.
If the fee is the only thing standing between you and a fresh start, say so at your free consultation. The waiver and installment applications exist for exactly that situation — and asking costs nothing.
Court filing fees as of 2026 — identical at every firm.
Anyone who quotes you a bankruptcy fee before hearing your situation is guessing — or advertising. The attorney fee depends on real things: which chapter you file, how complicated your case is, what assets need protecting, and whether creditors are already suing or garnishing you. Two people with the same total debt can have very different cases.
So here's our promise instead of a teaser number: at your free consultation, we quote you one flat, all-in figure for your case — before you commit to anything. No hourly meters, no surprise add-ons later. The number you hear at the consultation is the number.
And if Chapter 13 is the right fit, the timing works in your favor by design: most of the attorney fee can be paid through your 3–5-year repayment plan rather than up front, inside the same monthly payment that covers your reorganized debts — and the bankruptcy court reviews Chapter 13 attorney fees.
One flat number covers the work of your case, start to finish:
Filing has a one-time, known cost. Not filing has a running one. While you wait:
Once a creditor has a judgment, wage garnishment can keep pulling money from paycheck after paycheck until the debt — plus interest — is paid. Filing triggers the automatic stay, which stops most garnishments.
Balances you can't pay don't stand still. Interest, late fees, and penalty rates keep stacking, so the same debt quietly costs more every month you carry it.
Collection lawsuits that go unanswered usually end in default judgments — which can add court costs and interest and open the door to garnishments and liens. Each one deepens the hole.
None of this is meant to scare you — it's just the arithmetic. A one-time, known cost that stops the bleeding usually beats an open-ended one that doesn't.
Chapter 7 is the shorter path: qualifying debt is erased, often within a few months. Its costs generally need to be handled before your case is filed — we'll map out the timing with you at the consultation so there are no surprises.
Everything about Chapter 7Chapter 13 spreads costs out by design: one court-protected monthly payment funds your repayment plan, and most of the attorney fee rides inside it instead of being due up front. Often the better tool when you're protecting a home.
Everything about Chapter 13There are two main pieces: the court filing fee — $338 for Chapter 7 or $313 for Chapter 13, set by the federal court and the same for everyone — and your attorney fee, which depends on your chapter and how complicated your case is. Rather than advertise a teaser number, we quote you one flat, all-in figure at your free consultation, so you know the real total for your case before you commit to anything.
$338 for a Chapter 7 case and $313 for a Chapter 13 case. These fees are set by the federal court system, not by your attorney, so they're identical no matter which law firm you hire anywhere in Illinois.
Sometimes, yes. In Chapter 7, if your household income is below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, you can ask the court to waive the filing fee entirely. In either chapter, you can also apply to pay the fee in installments instead of all at once. We'll tell you at your free consultation whether you qualify, and we prepare the application as part of your case.
This worry keeps more people stuck in debt than almost anything else — and it's exactly backwards. The consultation costs nothing, so finding out where you stand is free. From there, the court fee can often be paid in installments or waived, and in Chapter 13 most of the attorney fee is paid through your repayment plan over time rather than up front. Come talk to us before deciding you can't afford help — that conversation is free either way.
Yes — that's standard practice. In Chapter 13, most of the attorney fee is typically paid through your 3–5-year repayment plan as part of the same monthly payment that covers your reorganized debts, rather than being due before filing. Chapter 13 attorney fees are also reviewed by the bankruptcy court.
Your quote covers the work of your case: preparing your full petition and schedules, filing with the correct court for your district, getting the automatic stay in place to stop garnishments and collection calls, representing you at the 341 meeting of creditors, and answering your questions along the way. If something wouldn't be covered, you'll hear it at the consultation — not on an invoice later.
Two small ones to know about, required in every case nationwide: a credit counseling course before you file and a debtor education course before your discharge. Both are short, approved courses with modest fees set by the course providers, not by us, and we'll point you toward approved low-cost providers. Beyond those and the court fees on this page, your flat quote is the number.
Really. No cost, no obligation, and no pressure. You'll leave knowing whether bankruptcy makes sense for you, which chapter fits, and the exact flat fee for your case. If you decide not to file, you owe us nothing — and you'll still understand your options better than when you walked in.
One conversation, no obligation: we'll listen to your situation, answer every cost question on this page for your case, and quote you one flat figure. Then the decision is yours.