How To File Bankruptcy for Free in Ohio (Without a Lawyer)

Collect Your Ohio Bankruptcy Documents

To file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Ohio, you have to fill out forms about your income, expenses, debts, and property. Gathering certain documents ahead of time can make the process easier and faster. 

💡 Some of these financial documents are required when you file or shortly after, and others simply help you complete your paperwork accurately.

When you file your bankruptcy case with the court, you’ll be required to submit your last 60 days of pay stubs.

After you file, your trustee will also require you to have:

• A bank statement that includes the date you file your case

• Your federal tax returns for the past two years

📃 In addition to these, many filers choose to collect other helpful documents while they’re getting organized. These can make it easier to fill in details about your debts, income, and assets:

• Recent bank statements from the last 6–12 months

• Credit card and loan statements (including student, car, mortgage, or personal loans)

• Bills or letters from debt collectors or collection agencies

• A recent credit report

You can get a free credit report every week from each of the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — at AnnualCreditReport.com. 

✨ 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 can file your bankruptcy case, you’ll need to take a credit counseling course. Don’t worry — it’s not a test, and many people find it helpful. The course usually takes about an hour, and you can take it online or over the phone, whichever works better for you. Also, you need to take it from an approved provider.

Here are some other important details:

💸 Course fees from range $10–$50, but many people qualify for a fee waiver and get to take the course for free.

📃 When you finish the course, you’ll get a certificate of completion. You must include this with your bankruptcy petition when you file your case.

📅 You need to take the course sometime in the six months (180 days) before you file your bankruptcy case.

The credit counseling course teaches you about all your debt relief options so you can make sure bankruptcy is the best fit for you.

Complete the Bankruptcy Forms

Part of filing for bankruptcy is giving the court a full picture of your financial situation. These details are entered into a set of official forms created by the federal court system. 

👤 If you’re filing your case on your own, you can download the forms for free as fillable or printable PDFs at USCOURTS.gov. You can print them off and fill them out by hand or complete the forms on your computer.

👥 If you use Upsolve’s free filing tool, you don’t need to search for or download any forms. You’ll simply answer the questions in our online app and our software will use your responses to complete the official forms. This can help you feel more confident and less stressed about the paperwork.

🤝 If you're working with a bankruptcy attorney, the process is a little different. Most attorneys give their clients a paper or online questionnaire. Then the attorney or someone on their team fills out the forms based on your answers.

Get Your Filing Fee

Filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy costs $338. If you can’t afford this filing fee, you have a few options.

• File for a fee waiver: If your income is below 150% of the federal poverty guideline in Ohio, you can apply for a fee waiver. If the court approves your request, you won’t have to pay the filing fee.

  • See the table for Ohio Fee Waiver Eligibility below.

• Apply to make payments on the fee: If you don’t qualify for a fee waiver, or if the court doesn’t approve it, you can ask to pay the fee in up to four payments. This is called paying in installments.

  • The court will either approve or deny your payment plan. If they approve the plan and you miss a payment or pay late, the court can dismiss your case, and you won’t get your money back.

🛑 If a creditor is taking money from your paycheck or threatening to, filing for bankruptcy can stop it right away through the automatic stay and an installment payment may help. Just be aware that if you miss a payment, the court may dismiss your case.

Print Your Bankruptcy Forms

This step is pretty straightforward, but there are some guidelines to follow:

• Print your completed forms on regular letter-size (8.5” x 11”) paper. 

• Use black ink and print on white paper. 

• Print every page single-sided.

✍️ Make sure you sign your name in every signature space. There will be several. Also, double-check that you’ve printed every required form.

⛔ Don’t print double-sided, use a hole punch, or staple your forms together. If you do, the court may not accept them.

If you’re using Upsolve’s free filing tool, you’ll get a downloadable packet with markers for each signature page.

If you’re filing with an attorney, they’ll probably have you sign the forms in their office. 

File Your Forms With the Ohio Bankruptcy Court

The Ohio Bankruptcy Court is broken into two districts: the Northern District and the Southern District. Regardless of which district you live in, you can file your Chapter 7 case in person or via mail. If you go in person, be sure to bring a valid photo ID.

💻 Filers in the Southern District also have the option to file their case online through the court’s eSR system. eSR stands for electronic self representation.

Mail Documents to Your Trustee

After you file your case, the court will assign a bankruptcy trustee to review it and schedule your 341 meeting.

📌 A bankruptcy trustee is a person who makes sure everything in your case is accurate and follows the rules. The 341 meeting is a short meeting to verify your information with the trustee. It takes place about a month after you file. 

Before the 341 meeting, you’ll need to send the trustee:

• Recent bank statements that include the day you filed your case

• Copies of your last two federal tax returns

🗓️ It’s important to send these documents at least seven days before your 341 meeting.

💡 The trustee might ask for more paperwork, too. As long as the request is reasonable, it’s a good idea to provide them with the information.

Most trustees will send you a letter explaining what they need, but you can be proactive and reach out to them after the court provides their contact information.

Take a Debtor Education Course

After sending your documents to the trustee, you should take your second required course. This is called the debtor education course or financial management course. 

It teaches you how to successfully manage your finances after bankruptcy and make the most of your fresh start. 

The course takes 1–2 hours to complete and can be taken online, via phone, or in person. It costs $10–$50, but you can apply for a fee waiver if you can’t afford that.

🗓️ You’ll need to send the certificate of completion for this course to the court within the 60 days of your 341 meeting, or else your debts won’t be eligible for discharge. 

Just like you did with the credit counseling course, you’ll need to take the financial management course from an approved provider.

Attend Your 341 Meeting

About a month after you file, you’ll have a short meeting with your bankruptcy trustee. This is called the 341 meeting or the meeting of creditors. It usually only lasts about 10–15 minutes, and most meetings are held via Zoom or video conference.

This meeting is a normal part of every bankruptcy case. 

Here’s what to expect: The trustee will verify your identity. You’re required to bring a valid photo ID and proof of your Social Security number to the meeting so they can do this. 

Then, the trustee will ask you a few questions to make sure everything in your paperwork is complete and correct. You’ll 

Be aware that creditors are allowed to attend this meeting, but they rarely do. In most cases, it’s just you and the trustee. If your trustee needs more information or documents, they’ll let you know at the meeting or shortly after.

🙏 Try not to stress too much about the 341 meeting. Many people feel nervous going in, but it’s usually pretty straightforward. Plus, once it’s done, you're one step closer to a fresh start.

To see district-specific requirements for Ohio, read the information for your district below.

Deal With Your Car

Dealing with a car in bankruptcy can feel confusing, but most people are able to keep the car they need to get to work and care for their families.

That said, your options will depend on how much your car is worth, if you’re up to date on payments (or own it outright), and whether you want to keep it or get rid of it.

If you want to keep your car and you have a loan on it, here are your main options:

• Reaffirm the loan: Reaffirmation means you agree to keep paying your car loan even after the bankruptcy. Many lenders require you to sign a reaffirmation agreement to do this, and they require you to be up to date on your monthly payments.

• Redeem the car: Redemption means you pay the lender the fair market value of the car (usually in one lump sum) so you can keep the car but ditch the loan after bankruptcy. Some people choose to do this if they’re underwater on their car loan.

If you don’t want to keep the car or can’t afford the payments anymore, you can give it back to the lender. This is called surrendering the car, and it wipes out the rest of the loan balance in most cases.

🚗 If your car is paid off, you may be able to keep it if it’s covered by an exemption. Exemptions are laws that protect certain property during bankruptcy. We cover this in depth below.

🔑 If you’re leasing a car, you can choose to keep the lease and keep making payments, or you can end the lease without penalty.