How To File Bankruptcy for Free in Pennsylvania Without a Lawyer

Collect Your Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Documents

To get started, you’ll need to gather some key financial documents. These are required when you file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, no matter whether you’re working with a lawyer or filing on your own:

• Paycheck stubs for the past 60 days (so the court can verify your monthly income)

• Your federal tax returns from the past two years

• A bank account statement that covers the date you file your case

These required documents help the court and trustee confirm the information in your forms.

It’s also helpful to collect a few extra documents while you’re getting organized. These aren’t required, but they can make filling out your forms much easier:

• Bank statements from the past 6–12 months to help you track your income and expenses

• Bills from creditors and collection letters to verify your debt account information

• Loan documents for personal loans, student loans, car loans, etc. 

• A recent credit report to verify your debts and creditors

🧾 You’re entitled to a free credit report every week from each of the three major credit bureaus. You can access your reports through AnnualCreditReport.com. 

👉 If you’re eligible to use Upsolve’s free filing tool, we’ll pull a credit report for you, making this step even easier.

Take a Credit Counseling Course

Before you can file your bankruptcy case, you have to take a credit counseling course. This is required under federal law for all bankruptcy filers. 

📚 The course helps you understand your debt relief options, including bankruptcy, so you can make an informed decision.

To meet the requirement, you’ll need to:

• Take the course within six months (180 days) before you file.

• Use a provider that’s approved for Pennsylvania.

• Submit your certificate of completion with your bankruptcy paperwork.

A few things to know about the course:

• It usually costs less than $50.

• You may qualify for a fee waiver if you can’t afford to pay.

• You can take it online, by phone, or in person.

• You can search for approved providers using the U.S. Trustee’s official list.

Complete the Bankruptcy Forms

Filing bankruptcy requires filling out a lot of forms. This can feel intimidating at first, but you don’t have to tackle them alone or all at once. 

This is where the documents you gathered earlier will come in handy. You’ll use them to fill in details about your income, expenses, debts, and personal property. 

🌐 You can download all the forms for free as fillable PDFs from USCourts.gov. Each comes with detailed instructions to help you understand what information to include. 

✨ If you’re using Upsolve’s free filing tool, we’ll generate the forms for you based on your answers to our questionnaire. 

🤝 If you’re working with a bankruptcy lawyer, they will usually ask you questions and collect documents so they can fill out the forms for you.

Get Your Filing Fee

💰 It costs $338 to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case. 

If you’re paying the fee yourself, you usually have to do so with a cashier’s check or money order. These should be payable to “Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court.” 

⛔ Personal checks, credit cards, and cash usually aren’t accepted.

If your income is low, you may qualify for a fee waiver. This means you wouldn’t have to pay the filing fee at all. 

👉 Check the table below to see if you’re eligible based on Pennsylvania’s income limits.

If you don’t qualify for a waiver but can’t pay the full fee up front, you can apply to pay in smaller monthly installments. 

If you’re trying to file your case quickly to stop things like wage garnishment or foreclosure, this can be helpful. Just be sure to make each payment on time. If you miss one, the court may dismiss your case.

💡 As soon as you file your case, something called the automatic stay goes into effect. This legal protection stops debt collectors right away. It can halt wage garnishments, foreclosure sales, repossessions, and collection calls. For many people, it’s one of the biggest sources of immediate relief during the bankruptcy process.

Print Your Bankruptcy Forms

Once your forms are complete, it’s time to print and sign them. This step can feel a little tedious, but it’s important to get it right so your case stays on track. 

📌 The court provides a document checklist you can use to make sure you’ve printed everything.

It’s important to print and organize your forms the way the court requires:

• Use regular letter-size paper (8.5" x 11").

• Print everything single-sided (no double-sided pages).

• Use black ink only.

• Don’t staple, bind, or hole punch your forms.

✍️ After you print, be sure to sign anywhere a signature is needed..

It’s also a good idea to make a full copy for your own records. Keep it somewhere safe with your other important paperwork.

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

File Your Forms With the Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Court

Pennsylvania has three federal bankruptcy districts: 

• Western District

• Middle District

• Eastern District 

🏛️ You’ll file at the courthouse in the district that serves your county. (We talk more about districts below.)

💻 If you’re filing on your own and you live in the Middle or Western District, you can file your forms electronically. This can be a convenient way to submit your paperwork without needing to visit the courthouse.

No matter which district you’re in, you can also file your forms in person at the courthouse or send them by mail. 

If you go in person to file your forms, the clerk can often verify your packet and let you know if anything’s missing. This offers many people peace of mind before they leave.

Mail Documents to Your Trustee

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

💡 The trustee reviews your paperwork and helps make sure your case complies with bankruptcy law. 

You’ll get a notice from the court shortly after you file that includes your trustee’s name and contact information. The trustee may also reach out directly to introduce themselves or request additional documents.

About a month after you file, you’ll attend a 341 meeting of creditors (more on this below). 

At least seven days prior to the meeting, you need to send your trustee a few documents, including:

• Your two most recent federal income tax returns

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

📃 Your trustee might ask for additional documents, too. If they do, it’s important to send them what they need on time to avoid delays in your case.

Take a Debtor Education Course

To get your debts officially wiped out, you’ll need to take a second course called debtor education. This is also called a financial management course. It covers basic money skills to help you make the most of your fresh start.

You can take this course before or after your 341 meeting, but the deadline is firm: You must finish it within 60 days after your 341 meeting and file your certificate with the court. If you miss the deadline, the court may close your case without erasing your debts.

Here’s what to know:

• The course costs $10–$50, but you can apply for a fee waiver, if necessary.

• You need to take the course from an approved provider.

• You can take the course online or in person.

• Most people finish the course in 1–2 hours.

Attend Your 341 Meeting

About a month after you file your bankruptcy case, you’ll attend a short 341 meeting or meeting of creditors. Many 341 meetings are held virtually. If yours is in person, it won’t be in a courtroom or in front of a judge. You’ll get an official court notice after you file your case that includes the date, time, and location of your 341 meeting.

💬 During the meeting, your trustee will place you under oath and ask a few questions to confirm the information in your bankruptcy forms. They may also ask for clarification or follow-up details about your finances.

To keep things moving smoothly, make sure to bring:

• A government-issued photo ID

• Proof of your Social Security number (like your Social Security card, a W-2, or a recent pay stub that includes the full number)

If you forget either of these, your meeting can’t happen and may be rescheduled.

Most 341 meetings are quick and straightforward. Once yours is complete, you're well on your way to finishing the bankruptcy process.

Deal With Your Car

Many people worry they won’t be able to keep their car if they file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Many people are able to keep their car, but this depends on a few factors, including whether the car is paid off or you’re paying on a car loan.

Here’s how it typically works:

If you own your car outright: You can usually keep it if the car’s value is less than or equal to the bankruptcy exemption available for it.

💡 Bankruptcy exemptions are legal protections that help you keep certain property, like your car or home. (We’ll cover Pennsylvania’s exemptions later.)

If you’re still making car payments, you can either surrender the car and get rid of the loan debt or keep the car by reaffirming the loan or redeeming it.

• Surrendering can be a good option for people who owe more than their car is worth or can’t afford the monthly payments. If you surrender the vehicle, the loan balance is wiped out.

• Reaffirming the loan can be a good option if you’re up to date on payments and are confident you can continue making payments after your bankruptcy. You get to keep the car, but you’ll have to keep making payments, too.

• Redeeming the car is often difficult for people to do because you have to pay the current value of the vehicle in one lump sum. But if you’re able to do it, you get to own the car free and clear. This can be a good option if the car is worth less than what you owe on it and if you have access to a lump sum to cover the value.