Would you pass the Chapter 7 means test?
The means test starts by comparing your household income to the median for your state. This runs that first comparison using the official figures. It is the opening question, not the whole test.
A worked example
Take a household of 3 in Texas. Over the six full months before filing, it received $45,000 from all sources.
That averages $7,500 a month, or $90,000 a year.
Texas, household of 3
- Household income, yearly
- $90,000
- State median
- $99,273
- Below the median by
- $9,273
What that result sets
- Presumption of abuse
- Does not arise
- Form 122A-2
- Not needed
- Chapter 13 plan length
- 3 years
This household sits $9,273 under the median, so it stops at the first page of the means test.
Earn more than $9,273 extra a year and it crosses the median. Then the full expense calculation applies.
These figures come from the same math as the calculator above, using the median table for cases filed on or after July 15, 2026.
How this calculator works
You pick your state, enter your household size, and enter the total income your household received over the last six full calendar months.
It divides that total by six to get current monthly income, multiplies by 12, and compares the result with the Census Bureau median the U.S. Trustee Program publishes for your state and household size.
For households larger than four, it adds the fixed amount the Trustee Program sets for each extra person.
The median table changes a few times a year. This calculator uses the table for cases filed on or after July 15, 2026.
What counts as income
The six months are the full calendar months before the month you file. Filing in September means March through August.
Income from all sources counts, taxable or not. Wages, business income, rental income, and pensions all go in. So does money someone else pays on a regular basis toward your household expenses.
Social Security benefits are left out. So are payments to victims of war crimes or terrorism, and certain military and veterans’ disability pay.
What the result means
Below the median, the presumption of abuse does not arise and you skip the rest of the means test. A court can still dismiss a Chapter 7 case for other reasons.
Above the median, you move on to Form 122A-2. It subtracts allowed expenses using IRS standards and decides whether the presumption applies. Being above the median does not rule out Chapter 7.
In Chapter 13 the same comparison sets the plan length. Below the median the plan usually runs three years. Above it, five.
Questions people ask about the means test
- Is my household size the number of people on my tax return?
- Not always. Courts use different tests, and some count everyone who shares expenses. If your household is not simple, ask a bankruptcy attorney which count your court uses.
- Does my spouse’s income count if only I file?
- Usually, yes. Form 122A-1 includes a non-filing spouse’s income, then lets you subtract the part that does not go toward household expenses. That subtraction is called the marital adjustment.
- Do I need credit counseling before I file?
- Yes. You need a briefing from an approved nonprofit credit counseling agency within the 180 days before you file. The U.S. Trustee Program keeps the list of approved agencies.
- Should I file Chapter 7 or Chapter 13?
- Chapter 7 wipes out most unsecured debt, usually in four to six months, and property that is not exempt can be sold. Chapter 13 keeps your property through a repayment plan of three to five years. Income, assets, and the debts you want to keep all shape the choice.
- Does passing the means test mean I qualify for Chapter 7?
- It clears one requirement. A court can still dismiss a case filed in bad faith, and a Chapter 7 discharge in a case filed within the past eight years bars another one.