How To File Bankruptcy for Free in Indiana

Collect Your Indiana Bankruptcy Documents & Get Organized

📄 Before you can file for bankruptcy in Indiana, you’ll need to collect several financial documents. These help you fill out the required bankruptcy forms.

You’ll need:

• Paycheck stubs from the last six months

• Tax returns from the past two  years

• Recent bank statements

The court and your bankruptcy trustee use these documents to check your income and financial situation.

💡The bankruptcy trustee is the person assigned to review your case and financial documents. 

The bankruptcy forms ask about your income, expenses, and debts. To report this information accurately, it’s also helpful to gather:

• Credit card and loan statements

• Letters or notices from debt collectors

• Medical bills

• Bank statements from the last 6–12 months

• A recent credit report

You can get a free credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com. Many filers use this to double-check their list of debts. 

✨ If you use Upsolve’s free filing tool, we’ll pull a credit report for you automatically.

Take the Required Credit Counseling Course

Before you file your bankruptcy case, you also need to take a credit counseling course. 

🔍 Credit counseling helps you review your financial situation and understand your options, including bankruptcy. You must take the course from an approved provider. Most people take the course online or by phone, but some providers may offer it in person.

Here’s what you need to know:

• You must complete the course within 180 days (six months) before you file.

• The cost is usually between $10–$50, but you can request a fee waiver if you can’t afford it.

• You’ll get a certificate when you finish the course, which you must submit with your bankruptcy forms.

⚠️ If you don’t submit your certificate, the court will dismiss your case. That means your debts won’t be wiped out, and you’ll have to start over.

Complete the Indiana Bankruptcy Forms

📃 Next, you’ll fill out your bankruptcy forms. These forms tell the court about your income, expenses, debts, property, and more.

Bankruptcy forms are federal, which means they’re the same no matter where you live. You can download them for free from USCourts.gov. 

👉 Some Indiana courts may also require local forms. We’ll cover those details in the district-specific sections later in this guide.

If you use Upsolve’s free filing tool, you’ll answer questions about your situation, and that information will be used to fill out your forms. 

If you decide to work with a bankruptcy lawyer instead, they or their staff will prepare and file the forms using your information.

Print Your Bankruptcy Forms

Once you’ve handled the filing fee or set up a payment plan, it’s time to get your forms ready to submit.

💻 If you live in Indiana’s Southern District, you can file your bankruptcy forms online, in person, or via mail. If you file your forms online, you won’t need to print them, unless you want a physical copy for your records.

🏛️If you live in Indiana’s Northern District, you must file your forms in person at the courthouse or via mail.

If you’re printing your filing packet, you must follow the court’s instructions, including:

• Use black ink.

• Print on standard, white letter-size paper (8.5” x 11”).

• Print single-sided only.

• Don’t staple or hole-punch any pages.

✍🏽 Be sure to sign every signature page. It’s easy to miss a spot, and that can cause delays.

✨ If you’re using Upsolve’s filing tool, you’ll get a ready-to-print packet with everything you need. There are helpful dividers that clearly show you where to sign so nothing gets overlooked.

If you hire a lawyer, they’ll usually have you sign the forms in their office and then file them electronically on your behalf.

Pay Your Filing Fee (or Submit a Fee Waiver Form)

💸 When you go to file your bankruptcy forms with the court, you’ll also need a plan for paying the $338 Chapter 7 filing fee.

The good news is that many filers qualify for a fee waiver. If your income is below 150% of the federal poverty guideline, the court may waive the fee entirely. 

✨ If you use Upsolve’s filing tool, we’ll help prepare the fee waiver request for you, but you’ll still need to submit it yourself when you file your forms.

If your request is denied or you don’t qualify, you can ask to pay the fee in up to four installments. This option can be helpful if you need to file quickly to take advantage of the automatic stay, which starts as soon as your case is filed and stops things like wage garnishment or repossession. 

Just be aware that if you miss a payment, the court can dismiss your case, and you won’t get a refund. If you aren’t confident you can make all four payments, you may want to wait to file until you can pay the full fee up front.

File Your Forms With the Indiana Bankruptcy Court

Once your forms are printed and signed, you’re ready to officially file your bankruptcy case with the court.

Most people either deliver their forms to the courthouse in person or send them by mail. Filers in Indiana’s Southern District can also submit their paperwork electronically.

👇 You can find more information about Indiana’s two bankruptcy districts below.

🚶🏾‍♀️ Many people prefer to file in person if they can. When you bring your forms to the courthouse, the clerk can do a quick check to make sure everything’s signed and nothing is missing. That small step can help avoid delays or problems with your case.

Mail Documents to Your Trustee

After you file your forms with the court, your case will be assigned a bankruptcy trustee. 

👀 The bankruptcy trustee is the person who reviews your paperwork, checks for accuracy, and oversees your case. You’ll get their name and contact information in an official notice from the court.

The court will then schedule your 341 meeting, also called the meeting of creditors. At least seven days before that meeting, you’ll need to send your trustee some documents. This helps them confirm the information you included in your forms.

Trustees in the Northern and Southern Districts have different required documents. You can find complete district-specific information below.

Take a Debtor Education Course

Next, you need to take the second required course — called the debtor education or financial management course. This class is different from the one you took before filing. 

💪 It focuses on helping you manage your money moving forward so you can rebuild your finances after bankruptcy.

Here’s what to know:

🗓️ You must take the course within 60 days of your 341 meeting.

💰It costs around $10–$50, but many people qualify for a fee waiver, which allows them to take it for free.

🧑‍🏫You have to take it from a court-approved provider.

📄 To get your debts officially discharged, you must complete this course and file the certificate with the court. If you don’t, the court can close your case without erasing your debts.

Most filers choose to take this course as soon as possible after filing their case with the bankruptcy court.

Attend Your 341 Meeting

The 341 meeting, also called the meeting of creditors, usually takes place about a month after you file. 

🤝 In this meeting, you meet with the bankruptcy trustee assigned to your case. The trustee’s job at this meeting is to confirm your identity and ask a few questions to make sure your forms are complete and accurate. 

Creditors are allowed to attend, but in most simple Chapter 7 cases, they don’t show up.

You’ll receive a court notice with the date, time, and instructions. In Indiana, many 341 meetings now happen via videoconference. Sometimes they’re still held in person or via phone. Check your court notice to see the date, time, and place of your meeting.

Regardless of where your meeting is held, you usually need to bring:

• A government-issued photo ID

• Proof of your Social Security number (usually your SSN card)

• Your most recent pay stubs

• Bank or financial statements that include your filing date

⌛ Most meetings are quick, lasting about 10 minutes. If everything checks out, that’s often the last step before your discharge.

You can watch this video on what to expect at your 341 meeting to get a better idea of how it works and feel more confident going in.

Deal With Your Car

Many people worry they’ll lose their vehicle if they file bankruptcy, but most Chapter 7 filers are able to keep their car thanks to bankruptcy exemptions.

💡 Exemptions are legal rules that say what property you’re allowed to keep and how much of it is protected.

We explain exemptions more in detail later in this guide. But for now it’s helpful to know that Indiana doesn’t have a specific motor vehicle exemption. But you can use the state’s $12,100 wildcard exemption to protect your car and other personal property.

🚗 Essentially, you can protect up to $12,100 of the equity you have in your car using this exemption. How this plays out looks a little different based on whether you own the car or are paying on a car loan.

• If you own your car outright: You can usually keep it if the car’s current fair market value is less than the exemption you’re claiming to protect the car — up to $12,100 if you’re using the full wildcard exemption.

  • You can find your car’s current fair market value by looking on KBB.com or Edmunds.com. 

• If you’re paying on a car loan and you want to keep the car: You can usually keep your car as long as your equity is protected by the exemption. 

  • In this case, equity is the car’s current value minus what you still owe on the loan. You’ll also need to be current on your loan payments. In some cases, your lender may ask you to sign a reaffirmation agreement, which keeps you legally responsible for the loan after bankruptcy. Some filers choose to redeem their car by paying its current value in a lump sum.

• If you’re paying on a car loan and can’t afford it anymore: Many people choose to surrender the vehicle. When you surrender the car, the loan is wiped out along with your other qualifying debts.

If you’re leasing a car, you have a few options, which you can learn about in this car lease bankruptcy guide.