Learn · Forms reference
An individual Chapter 7 case is built from sixteen official federal forms. Each one does a specific job — disclose what you own, what you owe, where the money goes, and what you plan to do with the property securing your debts. Below, every form gets its own plain-English explainer.
Educational information only — not legal advice. These explainers describe how each form typically works for a routine consumer Chapter 7. Your case may have quirks that change what applies. Consult a licensed bankruptcy attorney for advice on your specific situation.
Petition & cover documents
The form that actually starts your case. Your identifying info, prior bankruptcies, type of debts, and which chapter you're filing.
Read → Form 106SumA one-page cover sheet that totals up everything from Schedules A through J. The trustee's quick-look snapshot of your case.
Read → Form 106DecYour signature under penalty of perjury that the schedules are true and correct. Small form, big legal weight.
Read → Form 121Filed under seal so your full Social Security number is verified by the trustee but never appears in the public record.
Read →Schedules A through J — what you own, owe, earn, and spend
Everything you own, top to bottom — house, car, cash, retirement, the couch, the cat. Omissions here cause more case problems than anything else.
Read → Form 106CThe form that protects your stuff. Each item from Schedule A/B that you want to keep gets matched to a specific exemption statute.
Read → Form 106DAnyone with a lien on your property — mortgage, car loan, judgment lien, tax lien. The collateral is what makes them "secured."
Read → Form 106E/FCredit cards, medical bills, personal loans, the rest. Most of what gets discharged in Chapter 7 lives on this form.
Read → Form 106GApartment lease, car lease, cell phone contract, gym membership — anything ongoing where both sides still have obligations.
Read → Form 106HAnyone else legally on the hook for your debts — co-signers, joint account holders, sometimes an ex-spouse. Surprisingly important.
Read → Form 106IYour current monthly income at the moment of filing — every paycheck, side hustle, benefit, support payment, and rental dollar.
Read → Form 106JYour actual monthly living expenses. Subtract J from I and you get the number the trustee uses to confirm you can't pay your creditors.
Read →Statements & intentions
A two-year financial history: income, transfers, lawsuits, repossessions, gifts, business activity. The trustee's investigative roadmap.
Read → Form 108For each secured debt: keep it (and pay), redeem it (and pay a lump sum), or surrender it. You commit to a plan in writing.
Read →The Means Test — your qualification math
Average gross income over the prior 6 months × 12. If you're below the state median, you qualify and skip Form 122A-2.
Read → Form 122A-2Only if you're above median: a long calculation of allowed expenses to test whether you have disposable income to fund a Chapter 13 plan.
Read →A guided 14-section interview asks you the same questions in plain English, then writes the answers into the official PDFs — about 2,400 fields handled. Join the waitlist and you'll be first in line for the open beta.