Illinois Southern District Bankruptcy Guide and Forms Package for Chapters 7 or 13

In the Chicago area, bankruptcies are processed by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois.Most parts of a bankruptcy file are considered public record, so the court makes them available for viewing and copying to the general public.

In general, attorney fees for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy range from $1,000 to $3,500 depending on the complexity of the case. Larger firms with more advertising and overhead costs sometimes charge more than a solo practitioner, but not always.

If your annual income, as calculated on line 12b, is less than $84,952, you may qualify to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy. If it's greater than $84,952, you'll have to continue to Form 122A-2, which we'll review in the next section. It should be noted that every state has different median income calculations.

Even if you make too much money to automatically pass the Chapter 7 means test, you may still be able to qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This is because you can deduct certain expenses in full to help you reduce your disposable income on the means test.

How much does it cost to file bankruptcy in Illinois depends on whether you file Chapter 7 bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy, and also on how complicated your case is. There is a filing fee for a Chapter 7 of $306 and the filing fee for Chapter 13 is $281. The filing fee goes to the Clerk of the court.

Eligible filers are able to file Chapter 7 for free. If your household income is less than 150% of the federal poverty level, you can ask the bankruptcy judge to waive your court fees with a simple application submitted along with your bankruptcy petition.