The Official Bankruptcy Forms: A Consumer Overview

How does the official bankruptcy forms packet actually work?

The official forms are a standard national packet, and the petition is only the first page of it. Filing the Voluntary Petition for Individuals Filing for Bankruptcy (Official Form 101) opens the case; the rest of the packet tells the court and the trustee what you own, what you owe, what you earn, and what you spend. Schedules A/B through J cover property, exempt property, secured creditors, unsecured creditors, leases, codebtors, income and expenses, and are filed with a summary and a signed declaration (COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet). The Statement of Financial Affairs (Official Form 107) covers recent transfers, payments and lawsuits. Federal law separately requires a list of creditors and a statement of your monthly net income showing how it was calculated (11 U.S.C. § 521). Everything is signed under penalty of perjury.

What changes which forms you have to file?

Which forms apply turns on facts about you, not on preference. The chapter matters most: Chapter 7 filers complete the Chapter 7 Statement of Your Current Monthly Income (Official Form 122A-1), and only those whose income is above the applicable state median go on to the Chapter 7 Means Test Calculation (Official Form 122A-2) (Bankr. S.D. Iowa official guidance — Instructions - Bankruptcy Forms for Individuals). Chapter 13 filers use Official Form 122C-1 and, where applicable, 122C-2 (COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet). Filing alone or as a married couple in a joint case changes the signature pages and can add Schedule J-2 where spouses maintain separate households. Whether you are represented by an attorney, used a bankruptcy petition preparer, rent a home subject to an eviction judgment, or hold property securing a debt each adds its own form. The forms follow the chapter you choose; they do not choose it.

• Chapter selected — different income forms, different fees, different plan requirements
• Individual or joint case — signature pages, and possibly a separate-household expense schedule
• Represented, self-represented, or assisted by a petition preparer — Official Form 119 and preparer disclosures apply where a preparer is used
• Property securing a debt — triggers the statement of intention under 11 U.S.C. § 521(a)(2)
• Primarily consumer debts or primarily business debts — a reporting question on Official Form 101

What does federal law say you have to file?

11 U.S.C. § 521 sets the debtor's duties, and it is the backbone of the packet. It requires a list of creditors and, unless the court orders otherwise, a schedule of assets and liabilities, a schedule of current income and current expenditures, a statement of the debtor's financial affairs, copies of payment advices or other evidence of payment received from an employer before the petition, a statement of monthly net income itemized to show how it is calculated, and a statement disclosing any reasonably anticipated increase in income or expenditures after filing. Where an individual's schedules include debts secured by property of the estate, § 521(a)(2) calls for a statement of intention — retention or surrender, and whether the property is claimed as exempt, redeemed, or the debt reaffirmed — and then performing that intention. Separately, 11 U.S.C. § 342(b) has the clerk give consumer filers a written notice describing the chapters and credit counseling services.

• A list of creditors (11 U.S.C. § 521(a)(1)(A))
• Schedules of assets and liabilities, and of current income and current expenditures
• A statement of financial affairs, with the § 342(b) notice certificate where that section applies
• Payment advices or other evidence of employer payments received before filing
• A statement of monthly net income, itemized to show the calculation

Where do state or local rules change the packet?

The official forms are national, but each district adds a layer. A Chapter 13 case in Colorado requires a local Chapter 13 Plan form alongside the official packet (COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet). South Dakota's local rules direct a filer without an attorney to submit a mailing list of creditors on the court's own local form, and to file a local statement about payment advices with all but the last digits of a Social Security number redacted (South Dakota Local Bankruptcy Rules and Appendices — amended June 14, 2024, revised January 24, 2025). Districts also publish their own checklists and guides for people filing without a lawyer (Bankr. N.D. Ill. official guidance — Guide for Individuals Filing Without A Lawyer, November, 2025). State law matters most in one place: Schedule C is where you claim exempt property, and exemption amounts come from your state (11 U.S.C. § 522). Check your state hub and your district's own site before assembling anything.

What does putting the packet together look like in practice?

In practice the packet is assembled in a sequence. Federal law generally requires a credit counseling briefing from an approved agency before the petition is filed (11 U.S.C. § 109). You then gather records, complete Official Form 101 and the schedules, sign the declaration, and file everything with the clerk together with the fee. For a Chapter 7 case the filing fee is $245 (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)), plus a $78 administrative fee (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8) and a $15 trustee surcharge (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 9). A Chapter 13 case carries a $235 filing fee (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)) plus a $78 administrative fee. An individual may apply to pay in installments on Official Form 103A, and a Chapter 7 filer may apply for a waiver on Official Form 103B (Bankr. S.D. Iowa official guidance — List of Required Forms and Fees to File for Bankruptcy). Later filings follow, including certification of a financial management course.

What documents and information do you need to gather first?

The forms run on records you probably already have, and collecting them first saves rework. You need every creditor's name and mailing address, because the list of creditors is a separate requirement from the schedules (11 U.S.C. § 521), and notices you send a creditor generally carry your name, address and the last digits of your taxpayer identification number (11 U.S.C. § 342). You need pay stubs or other employer payment records — the forms call these payment advices (U.S. Bankr. Ct. D. Alaska, The Forms Individuals and Married Couples Need to File Bankruptcy). You need values for what you own: assets and liabilities are to be disclosed completely and accurately, with replacement value stated where the forms ask for it after reasonable inquiry (11 U.S.C. § 527). You also need your Social Security number for Official Form 121, records of recent payments and lawsuits for Official Form 107, and lease and codebtor details for Schedules G and H.

What should you ask a lawyer about the forms?

Bring the packet to the conversation; the forms make good questions concrete. Useful ones: which chapter fits my situation, and what does each cost? Which exemptions apply where I live, and how do I claim them on Schedule C (11 U.S.C. § 522)? Does my income mean I complete the Chapter 7 Means Test Calculation? What happens to my car or home — surrender, redeem, or reaffirm — and what would a reaffirmation agreement commit me to (11 U.S.C. § 524)? A debt neither listed nor scheduled may fall outside the discharge, depending on the circumstances (11 U.S.C. § 523). Federal law also requires a debt relief agency to give you a written contract specifying what it will do and what it will cost, and states plainly that you can represent yourself, hire an attorney, or use a bankruptcy petition preparer (11 U.S.C. § 527). Ask to see that contract before hiring anyone.

Frequently asked questions

What forms do I need to file bankruptcy?

The core packet is the voluntary petition (Official Form 101), the schedules of assets, liabilities, income and expenses (Official Forms 106A/B through 106J) with their summary and declaration, the Statement of Financial Affairs (Official Form 107), a statement about your Social Security numbers (Official Form 121), a list of creditors, and the current monthly income form for your chapter (COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet).

What is the difference between the petition and the schedules?

The petition opens the case; the schedules describe your finances. Official Form 101 identifies you, your district, your chapter and some reporting information. The schedules are structured lists — property, exempt property, secured creditors, unsecured creditors, leases, codebtors, income, expenses — that the trustee and creditors actually work from. Federal law requires both, along with a statement of financial affairs (11 U.S.C. § 521).

Do I have to file a schedule that does not apply to me?

Generally yes, with nothing to report noted on it. Colorado's Chapter 13 packet instructs individual and joint debtors to file Schedules A/B through J, and to note 'NONE' on any schedule that does not apply rather than omitting it (COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet). The instruction booklet similarly tells filers to write $0 on a line with nothing to report.

What happens if forms are missing or filed late?

The court can dismiss a case for failure to file required information. Section 521(a)(1) requires prompt filing of detailed information about creditors, assets, liabilities, income, expenses and general financial condition, and district guidance warns that the court may dismiss a case if the forms are not filed on time (Bankr. E.D. La. official guidance — Chapter 13 Form Packet). Missing documents are a common, avoidable reason cases end early.

Are the bankruptcy forms different in every state?

The official forms are national and the same everywhere, but districts add local requirements. Colorado requires a local Chapter 13 plan form; South Dakota requires a local creditor mailing list and a local payment-advice statement from self-represented filers (South Dakota Local Bankruptcy Rules and Appendices — amended June 14, 2024, revised January 24, 2025). State law also drives the exemptions you claim on Schedule C (11 U.S.C. § 522).

Can I complete the forms without a lawyer?

Federal law states that you can represent yourself, hire an attorney, or in some localities get help from a bankruptcy petition preparer who is not an attorney (11 U.S.C. § 527). Many districts publish guides specifically for people filing without counsel (Bankr. N.D. Ill. official guidance — Guide for Individuals Filing Without A Lawyer, November, 2025). The forms are signed under penalty of perjury, so accuracy carries real consequences.

Sources

• 11 U.S.C. § 521 — Debtor's duties
• 11 U.S.C. § 342 — Notice
• 11 U.S.C. § 527 — Disclosures
• 11 U.S.C. § 522 — Exemptions
• 11 U.S.C. § 523 — Exceptions to discharge
• 11 U.S.C. § 524 — Effect of discharge
• 11 U.S.C. § 109 — Who may be a debtor
• 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)
• 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)
• Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8
• Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 9
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet
• Bankr. S.D. Iowa official guidance — Instructions - Bankruptcy Forms for Individuals
• Bankr. S.D. Iowa official guidance — List of Required Forms and Fees to File for Bankruptcy
• South Dakota Local Bankruptcy Rules and Appendices — amended June 14, 2024, revised January 24, 2025
• Bankr. N.D. Ill. official guidance — Guide for Individuals Filing Without A Lawyer, November, 2025
• U.S. Bankr. Ct. D. Alaska, The Forms Individuals and Married Couples Need to File Bankruptcy
• Bankr. E.D. La. official guidance — Chapter 13 Form Packet
• Bankr. D. Md. official page — Legal Overview

Related

• Build your personalised roadmap
• Find your local bankruptcy court
• What bankruptcy actually is
• Exemptions: what they protect
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 13