How Much A Lawyer Charges For Chapter 7 in Illinois in 2024

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The cost to file bankruptcy in Illinois is $338 for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Illinois and $313 for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy based on that US bankruptcy court fee schedule.

That said, are you going to hire an attorney? Are you going to apply for a fee waiver?

As of 2024, we found that the Chapter 7 attorney fee range can cost between $800 – $1788, but the free bankruptcy cost calculator below should be able to estimate based on your exact city in Illinois.  We got this information from spending approximately $1,000 on PACER, which is public records database that contains bankruptcy attorney fees.

If you are like me, you probably wonder how you can afford the cost of bankruptcy in Illinois when it’s difficult to pay bills, especially starting in 2024 as interest rates and inflation are still an issue. Thankfully, most bankruptcy attorneys near you provide initial free consultations and take payment plans to help you afford your bankruptcy.

Many bankruptcy costs such as the filing fee and the credit counseling courses are relatively similar. That said, the cost of bankruptcy attorney fees may range dramatically whether you are in Chicago or Aurora. The purpose of this article is to provide you with estimated all-in costs:

  1. Bankruptcy Attorney Fees
  2. Bankruptcy Filing Costs

Estimate the All-In Bankruptcy Cost in Your Zip Code

We received the question of how much a bankruptcy costs in Illinois so often that we built a database of attorney fees. Use your zip code below to estimate the cost of bankruptcy in your city in Illinois.

1. Bankruptcy Attorney Fees Illinois

A Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is often less expensive than Chapter 13 bankruptcy. That said, you often have to qualify for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy based on the Illinois bankruptcy means test. As stated above, Chapter 7 bankruptcy attorneys in Illinois can cost between $800 – $1788. The cost may increase or decrease based on the following factors:

The bankruptcy lawyer cost is often based on the following attributes:

  1. Which type of chapter you are filing (i.e. Chapter 7 vs Chapter 13)
  2. The complexity of your case (i.e. no asset vs asset)
  3. Your location (i.e. Chicago vs Aurora
  4. Level of attorney connection
  5. Attorney expertise (i.e. how many years of experience)

Here are some of the ranges of cost in major cities in Illinois.

Attorney Fees in Chicago

Chicago is the most populated city in Illinois with a population of 2,705,994. Bankruptcy attorneys in Chicago can cost an estimated $1,170.

Attorney Fees in Aurora

Bankruptcy attorneys in Aurora can cost an estimated $1,170.

Attorney Fees in Naperville

Bankruptcy attorneys in Naperville can cost an estimated $1,075.

2. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Attorney Fees Illinois

Chapter 13 bankruptcy attorneys fees in Illinois can cost $3500 – $3800. The fee can depend on the district.

While Chapter 7 attorney fees have variability, many Chapter 13 fees are relatively similar based on no-look fees, a reasonable cost for the service provided. You may still want to see whether the attorney charges an hourly rate for any additional work after filing the Chapter 13

3. Bankruptcy Filing Costs

Bankruptcy filing costs are pretty similar across the United States, not just Illinois. Here are the other costs to consider.

Bankruptcy Filing Fees

The US Courthouse has a fee schedule and a bankruptcy form that provides the filing fee.

The Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing fee is $338 ($245 filing fee $78 administrative fee + $15 trustee surcharge).

The Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing fee is $313 ($235 filing fee + $78 administrative fee).

If you cannot afford the filing fee, you may be able to pay the filing fee in installments or it could be waived altogether. For more information, please see the Illinois filing fee information and the information below

Illinois Filing Fee Waiver Guidelines

You may be eligible to have your Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing fees waived if you are below 150% of Illinois poverty guidelines. For example, you can see the guidelines below for cases filed within Illinois in 2022.
# of People 150% Poverty Guideline
1 $15,060
2 $20,440
3 $25,820
4 $31,200
5 $36,580
6 $41,960
7 $47,340
8 $52,720
9 $58,100
* Add $5,380 for each individual in excess of 9.

Mandatory Course Costs

When you file bankruptcy, you have to take an approved credit counseling course in Illinois and a debtor education course. You can often take both courses online. The average cost may is around $10 to $50 per course. Please note that the courses must be approved, so here is the list of approved Illinois credit counseling courses and Illinois debtor education courses that should also have the cost associated with the course.

Miscellaneous Costs

You may have to pay for transportation to the meeting of creditors at the courthouse, but most 341 meetings of creditors are still online even after COVID. You may also have to pay for a credit report for your attorney (although they may be able to help you with the credit report).

You can estimate the cost of transportation to one of the bankruptcy courts below:

Northern District

  • 219 South Dearborn Street
    Chicago, IL 60604
  • 327 South Church Street
    Rockford, IL 61101

Central District

  • 305 U.S. Courthouse
    100 N.E. Monroe Street
    Peoria, IL 61602
  • 218 U.S. Courthouse
    201 S. Vine Street
    Urbana, IL 61802
  • 151 U.S. Courthouse
    600 E. Monroe Street
    Springfield, IL 62701
  • U.S. District Court
    Rock Island Division
    131 E. 4th Street, Room 250
    Davenport, IA 52801

Southern District

  • 301 West Main Street
    Benton, IL 62812*
    (618) 439-7760
  • 750 Missouri Avenue
    East St. Louis, IL 62201
    (618) 482-9371

Will Inflation Affect the Cost To File Bankruptcy in Illinois?

With subsiding inflation in 2024, a question I’ve heard is whether inflation will slow to the extent that attorney fees may not rise. Let’s cover whether inflation may affect the filing fee and the attorney costs in Illinois.

The Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing fee was updated from $335 to $338, and the Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing fee was updated from $310 to $313 effective December 1st, 2020. Based on the very slight change, I would not expect the filing fee to negatively impact you.

You may see some inflation in attorney fee costs as inflation may force bankruptcy attorneys to pay more to employees and face higher costs of living themselves in cities such as Aurora or Naperville or across Illinois.

Would My Bankruptcy Cost Be Higher Chicago Than Naperville?

You may live in a suburb in Illinois and wonder if you should hire a local attorney or an account in a bigger city like Aurora to save on bankruptcy costs.

As Chicago has the highest population in Illinois of 2,705,994, you may expect that the cost of bankruptcy attorney fees may be higher in Chicago than Naperville.

While the cost may be higher in Chicago, there also may be more bankruptcy attorneys increasing competition and dropping prices. So, you actually could find that the total cost to file bankruptcy including bankruptcy fees could be actually much higher in your city than in Chicago.

One thing to be aware of is that most bankruptcy attorneys offer free bankruptcy consultations, so you can get multiple perspectives. Also, our bankruptcy cost calculator below takes into consideration those variables when providing you with an all-in cost estimate.

Why Do Some Attorneys Charge Higher Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Fees?

You may compare prices from two different bankruptcy attorneys in Aurora, and find attorney costs vary between two attorneys.

The Chapter 13 bankruptcy attorneys often charge the same amount regardless in Naperville due to the no-look fee (a normal fee for the services provided). That said, the Chapter 7 bankruptcy attorney fee can vary greatly, so it’s important to understand what you are getting for the additional cost.

For example, let’s say you make $10,000 above the median income for Illinois and still want to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The attorney may then have to spend additional time looking over your expenses to see whether you would qualify for a Chapter 7 even though you are above the median. Additional attorney time generally means a higher overall bankruptcy cost.

Conclusion

As you can see, the cost to file bankruptcy in Illinois is often based on the city in which you live and the type of bankruptcy that you are filing. The biggest variable that affects all-in bankruptcy cost is the attorney fee, which may range between  $800 – $1788 for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy and $3500 – $3800 for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
Hopefully, this article provides helpful information to help you understand the all-in costs to file bankruptcy with a bankruptcy lawyer. Please reach out if you have any questions or take the free Illinois bankruptcy cost calculator.
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