Does this tool tell me whether I can file Chapter 13?

No. It illustrates what a plan payment might need to cover and nothing more. Whether a Chapter 13 case is available to a particular person, and whether a plan can be confirmed, are determined under the Bankruptcy Code by the court — 11 U.S.C. § 1325 lists the conditions a court applies at confirmation. Only a bankruptcy judge confirms a plan.

What does the Chapter 13 trustee's fee do to my payment?

It sits on top of the distributions to creditors. Under 11 U.S.C. § 1326(b)(2), if a standing trustee appointed under section 586(b) of title 28 is serving in the case, the percentage fee fixed for that trustee under section 586(e)(1)(B) of title 28 is paid before or at the time of each payment to creditors under the plan. The percentage varies by district.

How much does it cost to file Chapter 13?

The statutory filing fee for a Chapter 13 case is $235 under 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B), plus a $78 administrative fee under the Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8. Those are separate from your plan payments and separate from any attorney fees. Courts allow an individual to apply to pay the filing fee in installments using Official Form 103A.

What happens to my pre-confirmation payments if the plan is not confirmed?

The trustee returns them, with a deduction. Under 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(2), payments made to the trustee are retained until confirmation or denial of confirmation. If a plan is confirmed, the trustee distributes them in accordance with the plan as soon as is practicable. If it is not confirmed, the trustee returns payments not previously paid and not yet due to creditors, after deducting any unpaid claim allowed under section 503(b).

Why do estimates for the same situation differ so much between districts?

Because local rules fill in details the Code leaves open. For example, one district requires every plan to state a minimum guaranteed distribution to non-priority unsecured creditors of either 100% or a fixed dollar amount, and requires plans to specify the interest rate applied to secured claims (E.D. Mo. L.R. 3015-2). Another directs pre-confirmation adequate protection payments to the trustee (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2083-1).

Does my state's exemption law change the payment?

It can, indirectly. Under 11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(4), unsecured creditors must receive at least what they would have been paid in a Chapter 7 liquidation on the effective date of the plan, and exemptions affect that liquidation figure. Exemption amounts vary by state and are published on the state pages of this site rather than restated here.

Can the payment amount change after I file?

Yes, in several ways. Before confirmation, the court may modify, increase, or reduce the payments required under 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a), upon notice and a hearing, subject to section 363. Section 1322(b)(3) also allows a plan to provide for curing or waiving a default. Any change runs through the court and the trustee, not through a private arrangement with a creditor.

Tier 2 tool

Chapter 13 Payment Range Explorer

Conservative educational plan-payment ranges.

A Chapter 13 payment estimator models what a monthly plan payment might need to cover: secured arrears, priority claims, a minimum return to unsecured creditors, and the trustee's percentage fee. It is an illustration, not a plan. Under 11 U.S.C. § 1325, only the bankruptcy court decides whether a proposed plan payment can be confirmed.

Key points

A Chapter 13 plan payment is built from what the plan must pay, not from a single formula applied to your income.
11 U.S.C. § 1322 requires a plan to pay priority claims in full in deferred cash payments unless the claim holder agrees otherwise.
Under 11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(4), unsecured creditors must receive at least what they would have received in a Chapter 7 liquidation.
Payments generally begin within 30 days of filing the plan or the order for relief, whichever is earlier, under 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(1).
The Chapter 13 filing fee is $235 under 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B), plus a $78 administrative fee.

If you are considering Chapter 13, the first question is usually the most practical one: what would I actually have to pay each month, and could I afford it? This tool builds an illustration from the pieces the Bankruptcy Code says a plan has to cover. It does not decide anything, and neither does this page — a plan payment becomes real only when a bankruptcy judge confirms it.

What does this tool compare?

The estimator assembles the components a Chapter 13 plan payment typically has to fund, then shows how they stack up against one another over a plan term. Those components come from the statute, not from a rule of thumb. A plan must submit future income to the trustee's supervision and control as necessary to execute the plan (11 U.S.C. § 1322(a)(1)), must pay priority claims in full in deferred cash payments unless the holder agrees to different treatment (§ 1322(a)(2)), and must treat secured claims in one of the ways § 1325(a)(5) permits. On top of those distributions sits the standing trustee's percentage fee, which is paid before or at the time of each payment to creditors under 11 U.S.C. § 1326(b)(2). Seeing those pieces side by side is the point. A payment that looks large is often mostly arrears on a house or car you are choosing to keep.

Cure amounts on secured debts you want to keep, such as mortgage or vehicle arrears
Priority claims that must be paid in full under 11 U.S.C. § 1322(a)(2)
A distribution to unsecured creditors, which § 1325(a)(4) sets a floor for
The standing trustee's percentage fee under 11 U.S.C. § 1326(b)(2)

What does the law actually say about plan payments?

Chapter 13 does not set a payment amount. It sets requirements a plan must satisfy, and the payment follows from them. Section 1322 governs what a plan contains: it may cure or waive defaults, modify the rights of holders of secured claims other than a claim secured only by the debtor's principal residence, and provide for curing a default within a reasonable time while maintaining payments on obligations whose last payment falls due after the final plan payment. Section 1325 governs confirmation. Among other conditions, the court confirms a plan only if it was proposed in good faith, if unsecured creditors receive at least the value they would have received in a Chapter 7 liquidation on the effective date, and if the debtor will be able to make all payments under the plan and comply with it. That last condition, § 1325(a)(6), is why feasibility rather than preference drives the number.

Where the parts of a plan payment come from
Requirement	Authority
Future income submitted to the trustee as needed to execute the plan	11 U.S.C. § 1322(a)(1)
Priority claims paid in full in deferred cash payments	11 U.S.C. § 1322(a)(2)
Unsecured creditors receive at least the Chapter 7 liquidation value	11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(4)
Secured claims accepted, paid, or the collateral surrendered	11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(5)
Debtor able to make all payments and comply with the plan	11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(6)
Standing trustee percentage fee paid with each creditor payment	11 U.S.C. § 1326(b)(2)

When would payments actually start?

Sooner than most people expect. Under 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(1), unless the court orders otherwise, the debtor must commence making payments not later than 30 days after the date the plan is filed or the order for relief, whichever is earlier — in the amount proposed by the plan to the trustee, with adjustments for personal property lease payments made directly to a lessor and for adequate protection paid directly to a secured creditor. Payments begin before confirmation, not after. The trustee retains those pre-confirmation payments until the court confirms or denies confirmation; if a plan is confirmed the trustee distributes them under the plan, and if it is not confirmed the trustee returns payments not already paid or due to creditors, after deducting any unpaid claim allowed under section 503(b) (§ 1326(a)(2)). Districts vary in how pre-confirmation adequate protection is handled — in the District of Colorado, for example, those payments go to the trustee rather than directly to the secured claimant (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2083-1).

The trigger is the earlier of the plan filing or the order for relief, not confirmation
The court may modify, increase, or reduce pre-confirmation payments after notice and a hearing (§ 1326(a)(3))
A debtor keeping leased or purchase-money personal property must give the lessor or secured creditor reasonable evidence of insurance not later than 60 days after filing (§ 1326(a)(4))

How long does a Chapter 13 plan run?

Plan length is a major driver of the monthly number, and it is not something the estimator picks for you. The same total obligation spread over a longer term produces a smaller monthly payment; over a shorter term, a larger one. The Bankruptcy Code ties length to specific requirements rather than to preference. Section 1322(a)(4) permits less than full payment of certain priority support claims only if the plan applies all of the debtor's projected disposable income for a five-year period beginning on the date the first payment is due. Official Form 122C-1, the Chapter 13 Statement of Your Current Monthly Income and Calculation of Commitment Period, is the form filers use to work through the applicable commitment period, and Form 122C-2 calculates disposable income under 11 U.S.C. § 1325(b)(2) (Bankr. N.D. Iowa official page — Chapter 13 Filing Requirements). One court's public flowchart describes plan length as varying, but typically lasting between three and five years (Bankr. D. Minn. official guidance — Chapter 13 Process for Debtors without an Attorney).

Form 122C-1 calculates the commitment period
Form 122C-2 calculates disposable income under § 1325(b)(2)
Longer terms lower the monthly figure but extend how long you are in the case

How should you read the result?

Read it as a range with a structure, not as a quote. The most useful thing an estimate gives you is the shape of the obligation: how much of the payment is arrears you are choosing to cure, how much is priority debt you cannot discharge your way out of, and how much is the trustee's percentage fee riding on top of every distribution. If a number surprises you, the input driving it is usually visible. Treat the output as a starting point for a conversation with a bankruptcy attorney or the standing trustee's office, both of whom will work from your filed schedules rather than from estimates. The Chapter 13 trustee's own duties include advising, other than on legal matters, and assisting the debtor in performance under the plan, and ensuring the debtor commences timely payments under section 1326 (11 U.S.C. § 1302(b)(4), (5)). Filing costs are separate from the plan payment and are known figures rather than estimates.

Costs that are fixed, not estimated
Item	Amount	Authority
Chapter 13 filing fee	$235	28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)
Chapter 13 administrative fee	$78	Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8
Chapter 7 filing fee (for comparison)	$245	28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)
Chapter 7 administrative fee (for comparison)	$78	Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8

What does the result not tell you?

It does not tell you whether a Chapter 13 case is available to you, whether a plan would be confirmed, or what a judge or trustee would say about any particular figure. Confirmation is a judicial decision governed by 11 U.S.C. § 1325, and it depends on the actual claims filed in the case, the value of collateral, the good faith of the filing, tax returns filed under section 1308, and domestic support obligations that became payable after the petition date. None of that exists yet when you use an estimator. The result also cannot account for local practice, and local practice matters here. Districts set their own requirements on things like minimum distributions to unsecured creditors and how interest on secured claims is fixed (E.D. Mo. L.R. 3015-2). One district's chapter 13 trustee materials describe their own calculation worksheet as producing an approximation that should be reviewed before inclusion in a plan (U.S. Bankr. Ct. S.D. Ala., Training materials from chapter 13 trustee). That is the right posture for any estimate.

It is not an eligibility determination and does not model debt limits
It does not reflect claims creditors have actually filed in a case
It does not account for attorney fees, which districts treat differently
It does not predict what a trustee will object to or what a court will confirm

What should you do next?

Start by getting your own numbers in front of you, because every part of a plan payment traces back to documents you can gather now. Court filing requirements lists give a concrete picture: schedules of assets and liabilities, a statement of financial affairs, a certificate of credit counseling completed before filing, Forms 122C-1 and 122C-2, and the Chapter 13 plan itself (Bankr. N.D. Iowa official page — Chapter 13 Filing Requirements; Bankr. D. Md. official page — Required forms for Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 filings). If the filing fee is a barrier, courts accept an Application for Individuals to Pay the Filing Fee in Installments, Official Form 103A. One court's sample packet notes that the individual installment amounts are only suggestions but the total must equal the filing fee, and that the entire fee is due no later than 120 days after filing unless the court extends the deadline (Bankr. D.D.C. Samples of Installment Applications). From there, build a roadmap and find the court that would handle your case.

Complete a pre-filing credit counseling course from an approved provider
Pull recent pay stubs and a full list of creditors and balances
Identify which secured debts you want to keep and what you are behind on
Ask a bankruptcy attorney in your district to review the numbers before you rely on them

Frequently asked questions

Does this tool tell me whether I can file Chapter 13?: No. It illustrates what a plan payment might need to cover and nothing more. Whether a Chapter 13 case is available to a particular person, and whether a plan can be confirmed, are determined under the Bankruptcy Code by the court — 11 U.S.C. § 1325 lists the conditions a court applies at confirmation. Only a bankruptcy judge confirms a plan.
What does the Chapter 13 trustee's fee do to my payment?: It sits on top of the distributions to creditors. Under 11 U.S.C. § 1326(b)(2), if a standing trustee appointed under section 586(b) of title 28 is serving in the case, the percentage fee fixed for that trustee under section 586(e)(1)(B) of title 28 is paid before or at the time of each payment to creditors under the plan. The percentage varies by district.
How much does it cost to file Chapter 13?: The statutory filing fee for a Chapter 13 case is $235 under 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B), plus a $78 administrative fee under the Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8. Those are separate from your plan payments and separate from any attorney fees. Courts allow an individual to apply to pay the filing fee in installments using Official Form 103A.
What happens to my pre-confirmation payments if the plan is not confirmed?: The trustee returns them, with a deduction. Under 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(2), payments made to the trustee are retained until confirmation or denial of confirmation. If a plan is confirmed, the trustee distributes them in accordance with the plan as soon as is practicable. If it is not confirmed, the trustee returns payments not previously paid and not yet due to creditors, after deducting any unpaid claim allowed under section 503(b).
Why do estimates for the same situation differ so much between districts?: Because local rules fill in details the Code leaves open. For example, one district requires every plan to state a minimum guaranteed distribution to non-priority unsecured creditors of either 100% or a fixed dollar amount, and requires plans to specify the interest rate applied to secured claims (E.D. Mo. L.R. 3015-2). Another directs pre-confirmation adequate protection payments to the trustee (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2083-1).
Does my state's exemption law change the payment?: It can, indirectly. Under 11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(4), unsecured creditors must receive at least what they would have been paid in a Chapter 7 liquidation on the effective date of the plan, and exemptions affect that liquidation figure. Exemption amounts vary by state and are published on the state pages of this site rather than restated here.
Can the payment amount change after I file?: Yes, in several ways. Before confirmation, the court may modify, increase, or reduce the payments required under 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a), upon notice and a hearing, subject to section 363. Section 1322(b)(3) also allows a plan to provide for curing or waiving a default. Any change runs through the court and the trustee, not through a private arrangement with a creditor.

Sources

11 U.S.C. § 1322 — Contents of plan · official source
11 U.S.C. § 1325 — Confirmation of plan · official source
11 U.S.C. § 1326 — Payments · official source
11 U.S.C. § 1302 — Trustee · official source
28 U.S.C. § 1930 — Bankruptcy fees · official source
28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B) · official source
28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1) · official source
Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8
E.D. Mo. L.R. 3015-2 — Chapter 13 Plans - Plan Contents
D. Colo. L.B.R. 2083-1 — Chapter 13 – General
Bankr. N.D. Iowa official page — Chapter 13 Filing Requirements
Bankr. D. Md. official page — Required forms for Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 filings
Bankr. D. Minn. official guidance — Chapter 13 Process for Debtors without an Attorney
Bankr. D.D.C. Samples of Installment Applications
U.S. Bankr. Ct. S.D. Ala., Training materials from chapter 13 trustee

By Antonio G. Jimenez, Esq. · Florida Bar No. 21022

Last reviewed July 31, 2026 · Sources verified July 31, 2026 · How we verify

Every figure on this page is drawn from a primary legal source and checked against our canonical legal database before publication. Bankruptcy.law is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.

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