Bankruptcy Help Map · 50 state guides

Bankruptcy

Thinking about bankruptcy: what property your state lets you keep (exemptions and the homestead), the means test median for your household, which federal court you file in, the automatic stay and the fees, with a means test check, a filing checklist and a free notice letter to creditors.

What it is

Bankruptcy is a federal court process for people who can't pay their debts. Chapter 7 can wipe out most remaining debts; a trustee may sell property that is not protected, though most individual Chapter 7 cases have no property to sell. Chapter 13 is a repayment plan over 3 or 5 years in which you keep your property. Which property you keep depends on exemptions: your state decides whether you use its own list only, or may choose its list or the federal one. Before you file you take a credit counseling course from an approved agency, and when you file an automatic stay stops most collection, including lawsuits, wage garnishment, foreclosure and repossession. Some debts, such as child support, most student loans and recent taxes, usually stay. We explain the rules; we don't advise which chapter fits you.

Who it helps

  • People who can't keep up with credit card, medical or other debts
  • People whose wages are being garnished or who face a foreclosure or repossession
  • People who want to know what property they could keep
  • People checking whether their income passes the means test

Go straight to your state's guide

Opens Bankruptcy Help Map, part of RobinClaim. Or see every topic for your state:

Across the country

50state guides checked against official sources so far (New Hampshire: a link to its federal bankruptcy court until its guide is checked)
19let you choose the state exemptions or the federal list (one whole set, never a mix)
31allow only the state's own exemptions
4set the homestead amount by a rule that can change each year, not one fixed dollar figure: Arizona, California, Montana and Washington
$53,978–$88,585the means test median income for a 1-person household (cases filed on or after April 1, 2026): lowest in Mississippi, highest in Washington
$338 / $313the court fee to file Chapter 7 / Chapter 13, the same in every state (Chapter 7 can be paid in installments or, below 150% of the poverty line, waived)

Figures from Bankruptcy Help Map's state data, checked Oct 2026.

Guides and comparison tables

All of Bankruptcy Help Map: every state, tools and guides.

Visit Bankruptcy Help Map