How To File Bankruptcy for Free in Idaho

Collect Your Idaho Bankruptcy Documents

When you file Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Idaho, you’ll need to provide information about your income, expenses, property, and debts. To get this information, it’s helpful to gather some key documents ahead of time.

The court or trustee will want to see:

• Pay stubs from the past six months

• Tax returns from the last two years

• A bank statement that shows your balance on the day you file

Other documents aren’t required but can be helpful in filling out your forms, including:

• Bank statements from the past 6–12 months

• Credit card and loan statements

• Letters or notices from debt collectors

• A recent credit report

📃 Your credit report can help you find all your creditors and get their correct mailing addresses. 

You can get a free report from each of the three major credit bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com. If you use Upsolve’s free filing tool, we’ll pull your credit report for you automatically.

Take a Credit Counseling Course

Before you file your Chapter 7 bankruptcy case, you’ll need to complete a credit counseling course. This required course explains your debt relief options and helps you decide if bankruptcy is the right path.

Here are some important course details:

• You must take the course within 180 days before filing.

• Most courses take 1–2 hours and can be done online or by phone.

• The cost ranges from $10–$50, but you can request a fee waiver if you can’t afford the course fee.

• You must use an approved course provider.

⚠️ After you finish, you’ll get a certificate. Be sure to file this certificate with your bankruptcy forms. If you don’t, the court may dismiss your case.

Complete the Bankruptcy Forms

To officially kick-start your Chapter 7 case, you’ll need to fill out a set of federal forms. The forms help the court get a full picture of your finances. 

🌐 All official forms are available for free at USCourts.gov. Some courts also ask for local forms, which we cover in the Idaho Districts & Filing Requirements section below.

✨ If you’re eligible to use Upsolve’s free filing tool, you’ll answer a few questions online, and we’ll generate your completed forms for you. 

If you’re working with a lawyer, they’ll prepare the forms based on the information you give them.

Get Your Filing Fee

There’s a $338 court fee to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy, but many people qualify for a fee waiver based on their income. If you use Upsolve’s free filing tool, we’ll prepare the fee waiver form for you. 

If you don’t qualify for a waiver but can’t afford to pay the full filing fee all at once, you can apply to pay the fee in installments. 

✋ This can be helpful if you need to file quickly to stop things like wage garnishment or foreclosure. When you file your forms, the court puts an automatic stay in place, which stops most collection efforts right away.

If the court approves your payment plan, you’ll pay the fee in up to four installments over 120 days. The first payment is due when you file.

🗓️ If you choose this option, it’s important to make every payment on time or the court may dismiss your case, and you won’t be refunded for prior payments.

Print Your Bankruptcy Forms

In Idaho, if you’re filing without a lawyer, you’ll need to print your bankruptcy forms and submit them by mail or in person. The court doesn’t allow electronic filing unless you’re represented by an attorney.

🖨️ Here are a few best practices for printing:

• Use black ink.

• Print single-sided.

• Use standard letter-size paper (8.5” x 11”).

• Don’t staple or hole-punch your forms.

✍️ Make sure to sign every page that asks for your signature. 

✔️ This checklist can help you stay organized.

🛠️ If you’re using Upsolve’s filing tool, you’ll get a ready-to-print packet with helpful dividers that clearly show you where to sign.

If you’re working with a lawyer, they’ll e-file the forms for you. You won’t need to print anything yourself.

File Your Forms With the Idaho Bankruptcy Court

If you're filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Idaho without a lawyer, you have two options: You can mail your forms to the court or file them in person at the courthouse. 

🚶Many people choose to file in person because it's faster and more secure. Plus, the court clerk can spot issues like a missing form or signature.

Many people aren’t able to make it to the courthouse in person, though. If that’s you, it’s okay to file via mail. It’s best to file using certified mail so you have a record of when your forms were received.

Mail Documents to Your Trustee

After you file your bankruptcy case, the court will assign a bankruptcy trustee. 

🔎 The trustee’s job is to review your paperwork and make sure everything is accurate. They also oversee a short meeting called a 341 meeting. Before the meeting, they’ll ask you to mail in certain documents.

Here’s what most trustees ask for:

• Your two most recent federal tax returns

• A bank statement that covers the day you filed your case

• A copy of your photo ID, like a driver’s license or passport

• Proof of your Social Security number, such as a copy of your Social Security card, a W-2, or a pay stub

• Proof of your current income, like a recent pay stub

📅 It’s best to mail these at least 14 days before your 341 meeting. If you don’t have one of the documents, you can include a short note explaining why.

🗂️ You’ll get your trustee’s name and mailing address in an official court notice after you file. Some trustees may ask for other documents, too. If that happens, sending what they ask for as soon as possible helps keep your case on track and avoids delays.

Take a Debtor Education Course

With your case officially filed, the next step is to take a second course called debtor education. This class focuses on basic money management skills to help you stay on track after bankruptcy. It’s a required step to get your debts officially discharged.

Here are some important course details:

• You must take the course within 60 days after your 341 meeting.

• You must use a court-approved provider.

• The course costs $10–$50, but you can apply for a fee waiver if you can’t afford the fee.

• When you finish, you’ll get a certificate of completion, which you must file with the court. Some providers will file the certificate for you.

Once you’ve completed this course and filed your certificate, you’ll be one step closer to a fresh financial start.

Attend Your 341 Meeting

About a month after you file your Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you’ll attend a short meeting called the 341 meeting.

💡 This is also called the meeting of creditors. It’s a standard part of every bankruptcy case. 

💻 Today, most 341 meetings happen online over Zoom. You’ll get a notice from the court with the date, time, and login information. In rare cases, the meeting may be held in person or by phone.

👥 Creditors are allowed to attend, but that almost never happens. For most people, the meeting lasts less than 10 minutes.

Here’s what you’ll need for your meeting:

• A government-issued photo ID (like a driver’s license or passport)

• Proof of your Social Security number (such as your Social Security card, a W-2, or a pay stub with your full SSN)

🗣️ During the meeting, the trustee will place you under oath and ask you a few questions. Just answer honestly and clearly. If anything in your forms needs more explanation, the trustee will let you know.

Deal With Your Car

In Idaho, having a car is often essential — whether you’re getting to work, picking up your kids, or running errands. So it makes sense that many people worry about losing their car when they file bankruptcy. The good news is that many Chapter 7 filers are able to keep their car.

Whether you can keep your car depends on a few things:

• How much your car is worth

• Whether you own it, are still making payments, or lease it

• What property exemptions you qualify for

🔎 Exemptions are legal protections that let you keep certain property during bankruptcy. We’ll explain how they work in the Idaho Bankruptcy Exemptions section later in this guide. For now, here are your general options:

🚗 If you own your car outright, you can usually keep it if it’s covered by Idaho’s $10,000 motor vehicle exemption. That means if your car is worth $10,000 or less, you won’t have to give it up in your bankruptcy case.

🚘 If you’re still making payments on a car loan, the $10,000 exemption still matters, but in a different way. It protects the equity you have in the car. Equity is the car’s current value minus what you still owe on the loan.

👉 For example, if your car is worth $15,000 and you owe $7,000, your equity is $8,000. Since that’s under the $10,000 exemption, you can likely keep the car.

Once you know how much equity you have, you can decide how to handle the loan. Here are the most common options:

• Reaffirm the loan: A reaffirmation agreement lets you keep the car and continue making payments as usual. To do this, you must be up to date on your loan payments.

• Redeem the car: If your car is worth less than what you owe, you might be able to pay the current value of the car in one lump sum and wipe out the rest of the loan. This is called redemption.

• Surrender the car: If the car payments are too high or the car isn’t worth keeping, you can return it to the lender. This is called voluntary surrender, and the rest of the loan will be wiped out in your bankruptcy.

🚙 If you lease your car, you have options, too. Learn more in our guide to car leases.