In short
A bankruptcy court can waive the Chapter 7 filing fee for someone whose household income is under 150% of the federal poverty guideline and who can’t afford to pay it in installments. Both conditions come from 28 U.S.C. § 1930(f).
Form 103B is how a person asks. It’s a short financial picture: family, income, expenses and property. A judge decides the application, sometimes after a hearing.
Who files it
An individual filing under Chapter 7 who is asking for the waiver. There is no fee waiver in Chapter 13.
What it asks
Part 1: Tell the Court About Your Family and Your Family’s Income
Family size, average monthly income, non-cash government assistance, any change of more than 10% expected in the next 6 months, and why paying in installments isn’t possible.
Part 2: Tell the Court About Your Monthly Expenses
Average monthly expenses, who they cover, and whether anyone else helps pay them.
Part 3: Tell the Court About Your Property
Cash, bank accounts, a home, other real estate, vehicles, other assets, and money owed to you.
Part 4: Answer These Additional Questions
Anything paid or promised to an attorney, petition preparer or anyone else for help with the case, and bankruptcy filings in the last 8 years.
Part 5: Sign Below
A signature under penalty of perjury that the fee can’t be paid in full or in installments.
When it’s filed
With the petition.
Related forms
- Application for Individuals to Pay the Filing Fee in Installments (Official Form 103A)
- Voluntary Petition for Individuals Filing for Bankruptcy (Official Form 101)
- Schedule I: Your Income (Official Form 106I)
The official form
Official Form 103B is 4 pages long and is used in Chapter 7 only cases. This guide describes the 12/15 revision, the date printed beside the form’s title. The federal courts publish the form and replace it when it changes, so their page always has the current one.
BK Prepare’s questionnaire builds the list of forms for a case from your answers, and includes this one when it applies.