Bankruptcy Costs Explained: Filing Fees & More

Many people try to determine bankruptcy cost before they go through the process of filing. Here are the basics of what you should expect to pay for a bankruptcy.

Filing Fees

The first charge that you are going to have is the cost to file for bankruptcy with your local bankruptcy court. If you are filing for chapter 13 bankruptcy, you are going to have to pay $274. If you plan on filing for chapter 7 bankruptcy, you will have to pay $299.

Counseling

In addition to paying filing fees, the court requires you to attend a credit counseling session with a counselor. In order to do this, you will have to work with an independent counselor that can charge for their services. If you are unable to afford it, the counselor will give you a reduced rate or perform the service for free. This typically costs about $50.

Attorney Fees

The biggest part of the expense of filing bankruptcy is going to involve your attorney fees. This is another cost that can differ from one attorney to the next. Attorneys can charge anywhere from $100 an hour to $1000 an hour. You should expect to pay approximately $2000 in attorney fees on average.