Can the filing fee be waived?

Only in Chapter 7. 28 U.S.C. 1930(f)(1) permits a court to waive the Chapter 7 filing fee for an individual whose income is less than 150 percent of the applicable official poverty line and who is unable to pay the fee in installments. Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 1006(c) requires the clerk to accept a Chapter 7 petition filed with a completed and signed waiver application, Official Form 103B. There is no filing fee waiver in Chapter 13. Installments are the alternative in either chapter: Rule 1006(b) requires the clerk to accept a petition filed with a completed installment application, Official Form 103A, and the court may set up to four installments, paid within 120 days after filing and within 180 days on extension. The court decides the application.

Do I have to pay for credit counseling?

An approved agency must provide counseling regardless of ability to pay. The U.S. Trustee Program states that an agency must always provide counseling services, including issuance of the certificate, without regard to a client's ability to pay, that services are available free or at a reduced rate based on ability to pay, and that a client whose household income is less than 150 percent of the poverty level is presumptively entitled to a fee waiver or fee reduction. It also states that a fee of $50 or less is presumed reasonable and that a higher fee must be approved in advance by the Program. The agency must disclose its fees and its waiver policy before the session begins.

What is a no-look fee?

It is the presumptive flat fee a bankruptcy court will allow a Chapter 13 debtor's attorney without a fee application. In the District of Maryland, Appendix F to the Local Bankruptcy Rules, Ver. 25.01 effective December 1, 2025, sets two options: a flat fee not to exceed $5,300.00 for all matters in the main case, preserving the right to apply for extraordinary or post-confirmation work on Local Bankruptcy Form E-1, and a flat fee not to exceed $6,800.00 for all matters in the main case, which waives the opportunity to apply for additional main-case fees except for unexpected extraordinary work. Those are the court's ceilings, not a quote.

Court fees, course fees, attorney fees

What bankruptcy costs in Maryland.

Bankruptcy costs include court filing fees, required counseling and education courses, and attorney fees. The first consultation is free, and the firm provides a written fee quote after reviewing the matter.

The firm handles consumer bankruptcy cases in Maryland.

Free initial consultation with Alexander Powell. Fees quoted in writing.

Request a consultation Call (202) 821-1980

We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code.

Court fees, attorney fees and counseling.

Bankruptcy costs include court fees, approved courses, and attorney fees. The filing fee is statutory and administrative. The counseling and education courses are priced by agencies the U.S. Trustee Program approves, under rules that Program publishes. The firm quotes its attorney fee in writing. Chapter 13 compensation is subject to court review and the local rules governing presumptive fees and fee applications.

The firm provides a written quote after reviewing the matter. What a file costs to prepare depends on what is in it: how many tax years are open, whether returns are unfiled, whether there is a lien, whether property is at risk.

Bankr. D. Md. filing fees
Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, effective December 1, 2023
11 U.S.C. 528

The parts

What each cost is, and who sets it.

The court filing fee
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland prints a Chapter 7 total of $338 and a Chapter 13 total of $313 on its filing fees page. The statutory component is set by 28 U.S.C. 1930(a)(1), at $245 in Chapter 7 and $235 in Chapter 13. The administrative component comes from the Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, which carries an effective date of December 1, 2023. The client pays the court filing fee separately from the attorney fee.
The credit counseling briefing and the debtor education course
11 U.S.C. 109(h)(1) requires an approved credit counseling briefing during the 180-day period ending on the filing date, and 11 U.S.C. 727(a)(11) conditions a Chapter 7 discharge on an approved personal financial management course completed after filing. Both must come from a provider approved under 11 U.S.C. 111. The U.S. Trustee Program lists approved providers for Maryland. Ask the provider for its fee and waiver policy.
The attorney fee
In Chapter 13 the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland publishes presumptive flat fees in Appendix F to its Local Bankruptcy Rules, and those figures are court rules rather than this firm's price list. In Chapter 7 there is no such schedule. This firm quotes a Chapter 7 fee on consultation, after seeing what the file actually contains.

Filing-fee installments and waivers.

The published totals are $338 in Chapter 7 and $313 in Chapter 13. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland prints both on its filing fees page and cites Title 28 as the authority. 28 U.S.C. 1930(a)(1) supplies the statutory portion, $245 and $235. The Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, effective December 1, 2023, supplies the administrative fee that is added to it.

Installments are available in either chapter, on application. Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 1006(b) requires the clerk to accept an individual's voluntary petition accompanied by a completed installment application, Official Form 103A. Before the meeting of creditors the court may order the whole fee paid or set installments, not to exceed four, with payment within 120 days after the petition is filed and, on extension, the last installment within 180 days. The same rule provides that until the filing fee is paid in full, the debtor or the Chapter 13 trustee must not make any further payment to an attorney or any other person providing services in connection with the case.

A waiver exists only in Chapter 7. 28 U.S.C. 1930(f)(1) permits the court to waive the Chapter 7 filing fee for an individual whose income is less than 150 percent of the applicable official poverty line and who is unable to pay in installments. Rule 1006(c) requires the clerk to accept a Chapter 7 petition accompanied by a completed and signed waiver application, Official Form 103B. Chapter 13 has no waiver. A Chapter 13 filer who cannot pay $313 up front is asking for installments, not forgiveness.

Attorneys pay filing fees through CM/ECF. The court also provides payment instructions for people filing without an attorney, including permitted installment payments. A returned payment carries a $53.00 returned item fee.

28 U.S.C. 1930
28 U.S.C. 1930 on govinfo
Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1006
Official Form 103A
Official Form 103B

Credit counseling and debtor education.

Two courses are required, and both must come from a provider approved under 11 U.S.C. 111. The credit counseling briefing runs before filing, during the 180-day period ending on the petition date, under 11 U.S.C. 109(h)(1). The personal financial management course runs after filing and conditions the Chapter 7 discharge under 11 U.S.C. 727(a)(11). Only an approved provider can issue a certificate that the court will accept, and the U.S. Trustee Program publishes the approved lists by state and judicial district.

An approved agency must provide counseling services, including issuance of the certificate, without regard to a client's ability to pay, under 11 U.S.C. 111(c)(2)(B). Services are available free or at a reduced rate based on ability to pay. A client whose household income is less than 150 percent of the poverty level is presumptively entitled to a fee waiver or fee reduction. A fee of $50 or less is presumed reasonable, and a higher fee must be approved in advance by the Program. The agency must disclose its fees and its waiver or reduction policy before the session begins.

The Program also warns that in some states and judicial districts counseling may be available only by internet and telephone, and not in person, and that an agency approved for Maryland may be physically located elsewhere. Ask the agency for its fee and its waiver policy before starting.

U.S. Trustee Program credit counseling and debtor education
U.S. Trustee Program credit counseling FAQs
Approved credit counseling agencies
11 U.S.C. 111
11 U.S.C. 109

Chapter 13 fee options under the local rules.

Appendix F to the Local Bankruptcy Rules of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland, Ver. 25.01 effective December 1, 2025, sets two presumptive flat fees for representing a Chapter 13 debtor. Option A is a flat fee not to exceed $5,300.00 for all matters in the main case, with the right to apply on Local Bankruptcy Form E-1 for additional fees for extraordinary work that was not reasonably expected, or for work done more than ninety days after the order confirming the plan. Option B is a flat fee not to exceed $6,800.00 for all matters in the main case, which preserves an application only for unexpected extraordinary work and otherwise waives further main-case applications. These figures are the court's, published in its rules, and the appendix adjusts them for inflation on a three-year cycle.

Presumptive means the fee is deemed allowed without a separate fee application and without a court order, if no party in interest objects. It does not mean the fee is automatic or beyond review. The court can still examine it, and Appendix F preserves disgorgement after confirmation.

Appendix F also fixes what the fee buys. With the exception of adversary proceedings, appeals, and United States Trustee audits, for which separate arrangements may be made, the attorney must represent the client in all matters in the bankruptcy case while attorney of record, including defending motions for relief from stay, objecting to claims, and prosecuting motions for the debtor. After the initial engagement, the attorney may not demand payments from the debtor as a precondition to doing the work.

Unpaid allowed fees may be paid through the plan. An allowed compensation award to the debtor's attorney is an administrative expense under 11 U.S.C. 503(b)(2), and 11 U.S.C. 1326(b)(1) directs that before or at the time of each payment to creditors under the plan there shall be paid any unpaid claim of the kind specified in section 507(a)(2). The written fee agreement identifies any payment before filing and the balance proposed for payment through the plan. Any portion received outside those trustee distributions requires a supplemental Rule 2016(b) disclosure under paragraph 4 of Appendix F.

Bankr. D. Md. Local Bankruptcy Rules and Forms, Ver. 25.01, effective December 1, 2025
11 U.S.C. 503
11 U.S.C. 1326
11 U.S.C. 330

Chapter 7 attorney fees at this firm.

There is no presumptive fee schedule for a Chapter 7 case. The fee is quoted on consultation, in writing, after the file is understood. One flat fee covers the engagement.

It is paid before the petition is filed, and it goes into the client trust account. Maryland Rule 19-301.15(c), as amended effective July 1, 2025 by Rules Order 223, provides that an attorney shall deposit into a client trust account legal fees and expenses that have been paid in advance, to be withdrawn by the attorney only as fees are earned or expenses incurred. The client's consent no longer changes that. The money stays the client's until the work is done.

The firm’s Chapter 7 engagement provides for payment before filing, with advance funds held in trust until earned. Local Bankruptcy Rule 2016-1(c) in the District of Maryland provides that a prepetition agreement to collect Chapter 7 fees in whole or in part after the petition date requires a motion for court approval filed with the Rule 2016(b) disclosure, and that such an agreement is enforceable only if, and to the extent, approved by the court.

The client pays the court filing fee separately from the attorney fee. Every fee arrangement is disclosed to the court on Official Form 2030 under 11 U.S.C. 329(a) and Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 2016(b), and the court may review it.

Maryland Rules Order 223, amending Rule 19-301.15 effective July 1, 2025
Bankr. D. Md. Local Bankruptcy Rules, LBR 2016-1
11 U.S.C. 329
Fed. R. Bankr. P. 2016

What the fee quote covers.

Begin with a high-level summary. The firm identifies the records needed to assess the scope and fee.

IRS account transcripts and wage and income transcripts, for every year in question. Whether a tax year is discharged under 11 U.S.C. 523(a)(1) requires account transcripts, filed returns, extension records, and relevant collection and court records. That work is the difference between a routine consumer file and a tax file.

Filed returns. Identify any year for which a return is missing. It changes what can be discharged and, in Chapter 13, it has to be cured before confirmation.

Pay stubs and income records for the six full calendar months before the anticipated filing date, because that period is what Official Form 122A-1 measures.

The collection notices, the judgments, the garnishment papers, and any notice of federal tax lien. Send a high-level summary first through the bankruptcy consultation request, without account numbers or attachments.

Questions

Common questions about cost.

How much does it cost to file bankruptcy in Maryland?
The court filing fee is published: the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland prints $338 for a Chapter 7 case and $313 for a Chapter 13 case, resting on 28 U.S.C. 1930(a)(1) and the Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule effective December 1, 2023. Added to that are the approved credit counseling briefing and debtor education course, whose prices the U.S. Trustee Program does not publish, and the attorney fee. This firm quotes its fee on consultation.
Can the filing fee be waived?
Only in Chapter 7. 28 U.S.C. 1930(f)(1) permits a court to waive the Chapter 7 filing fee for an individual whose income is less than 150 percent of the applicable official poverty line and who is unable to pay the fee in installments. Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 1006(c) requires the clerk to accept a Chapter 7 petition filed with a completed and signed waiver application, Official Form 103B. There is no filing fee waiver in Chapter 13. Installments are the alternative in either chapter: Rule 1006(b) requires the clerk to accept a petition filed with a completed installment application, Official Form 103A, and the court may set up to four installments, paid within 120 days after filing and within 180 days on extension. The court decides the application.
When is the Chapter 7 attorney fee paid?
A Chapter 7 fee here is paid in full before the petition is filed. Local Bankruptcy Rule 2016-1(c) in the District of Maryland provides that a prepetition agreement to collect Chapter 7 fees in whole or in part after the petition date requires a motion for court approval filed with the Rule 2016(b) disclosure, and is enforceable only if and to the extent the court approves it. In Chapter 13, unpaid allowed attorney fees may be paid through the plan.
Do I have to pay for credit counseling?
An approved agency must provide counseling regardless of ability to pay. The U.S. Trustee Program states that an agency must always provide counseling services, including issuance of the certificate, without regard to a client's ability to pay, that services are available free or at a reduced rate based on ability to pay, and that a client whose household income is less than 150 percent of the poverty level is presumptively entitled to a fee waiver or fee reduction. It also states that a fee of $50 or less is presumed reasonable and that a higher fee must be approved in advance by the Program. The agency must disclose its fees and its waiver policy before the session begins.
What is a no-look fee?
It is the presumptive flat fee a bankruptcy court will allow a Chapter 13 debtor's attorney without a fee application. In the District of Maryland, Appendix F to the Local Bankruptcy Rules, Ver. 25.01 effective December 1, 2025, sets two options: a flat fee not to exceed $5,300.00 for all matters in the main case, preserving the right to apply for extraordinary or post-confirmation work on Local Bankruptcy Form E-1, and a flat fee not to exceed $6,800.00 for all matters in the main case, which waives the opportunity to apply for additional main-case fees except for unexpected extraordinary work. Those are the court's ceilings, not a quote.

Tell me what the debt is and which Maryland county you are in.

Send a high-level summary. Do not send account numbers with the first request. The first consultation is free. Fees are quoted in writing after it.

Schedule an initial consultation

Requesting a consultation does not make Mr. Powell your lawyer, provide legal advice, or protect a deadline.

Law Office of Alexander Powell, PLLC. 1629 K Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006.

Court fees, attorney fees and counseling.

What each cost is, and who sets it.

The court filing fee

The credit counseling briefing and the debtor education course

The attorney fee