Current Bankruptcy Numbers: PA & NJ
Bankruptcy runs on numbers: income limits, filing fees, debt caps, exemption amounts. The problem is that the government changes them on a schedule, and most of the tables you’ll find online are years out of date. This page is our fix. It’s every number that matters for filing bankruptcy in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, checked against the official source (the U.S. Trustee Program, the federal courts, and the Federal Register), and updated whenever those sources change. If a number is on this page, it’s current.
Last verified: July 6, 2026. Next expected update: November 2026, when the U.S. Trustee Program typically revises the median income tables. The July 15, 2026 UST revision to the IRS expense standards is already reflected here; it didn’t change the income figures below.
Chapter 7 income limits (median family income)
The bankruptcy means test starts by comparing your household income to your state’s median for the same household size. These are the current figures, applied to cases filed on or after April 1, 2026:
| State | Household of 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | $72,230 | $87,534 | $110,151 | $135,862 |
| New Jersey | $87,173 | $106,876 | $137,136 | $168,127 |
What it means: the test looks at your average gross monthly income for the six full calendar months before you file, annualized. If that’s at or below your state’s median, you generally pass without the longer means-test math, and it also affects how long a Chapter 13 plan runs. Income above the median doesn’t shut the door on Chapter 7; it just means the full calculation, with its allowed expenses, decides. Which chapter fits is a separate question; our Chapter 7 vs Chapter 13 comparison walks through it. And if you’re not sure you’d qualify at all, our do I qualify for bankruptcy checker covers the basics.
Filing fees
| Fee | Amount | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 7 filing fee | $338 | $245 filing fee + $78 administrative fee + $15 trustee surcharge |
| Chapter 13 filing fee | $313 | $235 filing fee + $78 administrative fee |
| Amending schedules or the creditor list | $34 | No fee to fix a creditor’s address or add a creditor’s attorney |
You don’t have to pay the court fee all at once. Individuals can ask to pay in up to four installments (Official Form 103A). In Chapter 7, the court can waive the fee entirely if your income is under 150% of the federal poverty line (see the table near the bottom of this page) and you can’t manage installments (Official Form 103B, under 28 U.S.C. § 1930(f)). Court fees are separate from attorney fees; our guide to what Chapter 7 costs covers the whole picture, and our $999 Chapter 7 option keeps the attorney side affordable for qualifying cases.
Chapter 13 debt limits
| Debt type | Limit (cases filed on or after April 1, 2025) |
|---|---|
| Unsecured debts (noncontingent, liquidated) | Less than $526,700 |
| Secured debts (noncontingent, liquidated) | Less than $1,580,125 |
Heads up if you’ve read about a single combined limit around $2.75 million: that was a temporary law that expired on June 21, 2024. The split limits above are what applies now. If your debts sit near either line, how they’re counted gets technical, and that’s worth a conversation with a lawyer before you rely on any table, including this one.
Small businesses have a separate door with its own limit: Subchapter V of Chapter 11 is open to a business with total noncontingent, liquidated debt of $3,424,000 or less for cases filed on or after April 1, 2025, at least half of it from business activity (11 U.S.C. § 101(51D), adjusted by the same April 2025 notice as the figures above). The temporary $7.5 million limit you may have read about expired on June 21, 2024. Our Subchapter V page covers who fits, and franchise owners have a page of their own.
Federal bankruptcy exemptions
Exemptions are what let you keep property in bankruptcy. These are the federal amounts under 11 U.S.C. § 522(d), for cases filed on or after April 1, 2025:
| Exemption | Amount |
|---|---|
| Homestead (home equity), § 522(d)(1) | $31,575 |
| Motor vehicle, § 522(d)(2) | $5,025 |
| Household goods and furnishings, § 522(d)(3) | $800 per item, $16,850 total |
| Jewelry, § 522(d)(4) | $2,125 |
| Wildcard (anything you choose), § 522(d)(5) | $1,675, plus up to $15,800 of unused homestead |
| Tools of the trade, § 522(d)(6) | $3,175 |
| Personal injury recovery, § 522(d)(11)(D) | $31,575 |
| IRA and Roth IRA cap, § 522(n) | $1,711,975 |
Married couples filing together can generally claim these amounts twice. Most tax-qualified retirement accounts, like a 401(k), are protected without a dollar cap; the cap above applies only to IRAs and Roth IRAs. Which exemptions cover which assets is exactly the kind of thing a lawyer maps out before filing, because a wrong choice can cost real property.
Why the federal list matters in PA and NJ
Federal law lets each state force its residents to use state exemptions instead. Pennsylvania and New Jersey haven’t done that, so filers in both states can choose the federal list, and in practice most do. Pennsylvania has no general state homestead exemption and New Jersey’s state exemptions are minimal, so the federal amounts above are usually the numbers that matter here. There are situations where state law or non-bankruptcy federal protections do better, which is why exemption choice is a case-by-case call.
Other thresholds that come up
| Threshold | Amount |
|---|---|
| Priority wage claims (per employee), § 507(a)(4) | $17,150 |
| Consumer preference floor (trustee clawback minimum), § 547(c)(9) | $8,575 |
| Presumed nondischargeable: luxury goods bought within 90 days of filing, § 523(a)(2)(C) | More than $900 owed to a single creditor |
| Presumed nondischargeable: cash advances within 70 days of filing, § 523(a)(2)(C) | More than $1,250 |
Credit counseling and the course fee
Everyone who files individually has to complete a credit counseling session with an approved agency within the 180 days before filing (11 U.S.C. § 109(h)). Under U.S. Trustee Program guidance, a fee of $50 or less is presumed reasonable for the session, and if your household income is under 150% of the poverty line you’re presumptively entitled to a fee waiver or reduction. Don’t let anyone charge you a lot for this.
150% of the poverty line (2026)
Two of the breaks above key off this line: the Chapter 7 filing fee waiver and the counseling fee waiver. Here’s 150% of the 2026 federal poverty guidelines for the 48 contiguous states:
| Household size | 100% (2026 guideline) | 150% |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,960 | $23,940 |
| 2 | $21,640 | $32,460 |
| 3 | $27,320 | $40,980 |
| 4 | $33,000 | $49,500 |
Frequently asked questions
If your household income is at or below your state’s median for your household size ($72,230 for a single filer in Pennsylvania, $87,173 in New Jersey, higher for bigger households), you generally pass the means test without the longer calculation. Above the median, the full means test decides, and plenty of above-median filers still qualify once allowed expenses are counted.
The court filing fee is $338 for Chapter 7 and $313 for Chapter 13. You can ask to pay in up to four installments, and Chapter 7 filers under 150% of the poverty line may qualify to have the fee waived entirely. Attorney fees are separate and vary by case.
Using the federal exemptions available to Pennsylvania and New Jersey filers: $31,575 of home equity, $5,025 of vehicle value, $16,850 of household goods, a wildcard of $1,675 plus up to $15,800 of unused homestead, and more. Married couples filing together can generally double these, and most 401(k)-type retirement accounts are protected without a cap.
The median income figures usually change twice a year, around April 1 and November 1. The debt limits, exemptions, and other Bankruptcy Code dollar amounts adjust every three years on April 1; the current amounts took effect April 1, 2025, and the next adjustment lands April 1, 2028. We re-verify this page on every update.
What the numbers can’t tell you
These figures set the boundaries, but your case lives in the details: which household size applies, what counts as income, which exemptions fit your property. Attorney Mike Assad handles bankruptcy cases across Pennsylvania and New Jersey and will run your actual numbers in a free consultation, by phone or Zoom.
Every figure on this page was verified against the official source on July 6, 2026. Amounts apply based on your filing date; cases filed earlier use the amounts in effect at that time. This page is general information, not legal advice.
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