How To File Bankruptcy for Free in Maryland (2025 Guide)

Filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Maryland can help you erase debts like credit cards, medical bills, and payday loans. Many people do it without hiring a lawyer. You can handle the process yourself if your case is straightforward. Filing on your own saves you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Chapter 7 bankruptcy is the most common type for people who don’t have a lot of income or assets. You can wipe out debts and get a fresh start without losing everything you own.

Maryland offers specific exemptions to protect your property. Most filers keep their car, home equity, and personal belongings.

10 Steps To File Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in Maryland

Follow these steps to complete your Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in Maryland.

Step 1: Collect Your Maryland Bankruptcy Documents

Gather your financial documents before starting the forms. Having everything ready makes the process smoother and prevents delays.

Required documents include:

• Tax returns from the past two years
• Pay stubs or income records from the past 60 days
• A bank statement that includes your bankruptcy filing date

Additional helpful documents:

• Bank statements from the last 6-12 months
• Bills or loan statements from your creditors
• Letters from collection agencies or debt collectors
• A recent credit report

You can get a free credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus once a week at AnnualCreditReport.com. Check it carefully to make sure you list all your debts. Debts you leave out may not get discharged.

Step 2: Take a Credit Counseling Course

Before filing bankruptcy in Maryland, you must take a credit counseling course from an approved provider. The course explains your debt relief options and how bankruptcy works.

Course requirements:

• Must be completed within 180 days before you file
• Takes about one hour
• Usually done online or over the phone
• Costs $10-$50, but fee waivers are available
• You receive a certificate of completion

File this certificate with your bankruptcy paperwork. Without it, the court may dismiss your case.

Step 3: Complete the Bankruptcy Forms

You need to fill out a set of forms to start your Chapter 7 case. Download them for free as fillable PDFs from USCourts.gov. The forms are the same in every state and include instructions.

Maryland requires additional local forms. You’ll need to create a creditor mailing matrix with specific formatting. We cover Maryland’s local requirements in detail below.

Filling out the forms takes time. Work through them one page at a time. If you choose to speak with a bankruptcy attorney for free, they’ll usually complete the forms for you.

Step 4: Get Your Filing Fee

The Chapter 7 filing fee is $338. Most people pay this fee when they file their paperwork.

If you can’t afford the full fee, you have two options:

Fee waiver: Request the court to waive the fee completely. To qualify, your income must be below 150% of the Maryland poverty guideline for your household size.

Installment payments: Apply to pay in installments over time. This lets you file your case and get automatic stay protection immediately. You make smaller payments while your case proceeds. Missing a payment may result in dismissal.

Step 5: Print Your Bankruptcy Forms

Once your forms are complete, prepare them for filing. You can submit them online or print paper copies to mail or deliver in person.

Printing requirements:

• Use regular white letter-size paper (8.5″ x 11″)
• Print single-sided only
• Use black ink
• Don’t staple or hole-punch

Sign every spot that requires a signature. Bring one original and one copy. The clerk files the originals and returns stamped copies.

Check your forms against the court checklist before filing.

Step 6: File Your Forms With the Maryland Bankruptcy Court

You have three ways to file your Chapter 7 forms in Maryland:

Online using eSR: Maryland offers a free Electronic Self-Representation system for people filing without a lawyer. Submit your petition online through this tool. You may still need to print and mail a few documents afterward.

In person at the courthouse: Hand-deliver your forms to the clerk’s office. The clerk can tell you immediately if anything is missing or unsigned. In-person filing is fastest if you’re facing urgent collection actions like wage garnishment.

By mail: Send your documents by certified mail so you can track delivery. Include your completed forms and either the $338 filing fee, a fee waiver application, or an installment payment request.

Step 7: Mail Documents to Your Trustee

After filing, the court assigns a bankruptcy trustee to your case. The trustee reviews your paperwork and asks questions if needed. They also handle property issues, though most Chapter 7 filers don’t lose any assets.

Send these documents to your trustee at least 14 days before your 341 meeting:

• Your two most recent federal tax returns
• A bank statement that includes your filing date
• A clear copy of your government-issued photo ID
• Proof of your Social Security number
• Proof of your current income (recent pay stub)

You’ll receive your trustee’s contact information in an official court notice a few days after filing. Send documents promptly if the trustee requests additional items.

Step 8: Take a Debtor Education Course

Before your case can be completed, you must take a debtor education course. It’s also called a financial management course. The class teaches budgeting, saving, and financial goal-setting.

Course details:

• Use a court-approved provider
• Take it any time after you file
• Finish within 60 days of your 341 meeting
• You receive a certificate of completion

File this certificate with the court. Without it, the court may close your case without discharging your debts.

Step 9: Attend Your 341 Meeting

About a month after filing, you’ll have a short meeting with your bankruptcy trustee. It’s called a 341 meeting or meeting of creditors. Creditors almost never show up. There’s no judge involved. It’s usually just you and the trustee.

The trustee checks your ID and asks questions about your paperwork, income, or property. Most meetings last less than 10 minutes.

Most 341 meetings happen by Zoom videoconference. You’ll get the meeting link and instructions in an official court notice.

Bring these items to verify your identity:

• A government-issued photo ID
• Proof of your Social Security number

Answer honestly and stay calm. Many people say the meeting was easier than expected.

Step 10: Deal With Your Car

Many Maryland residents worry about losing their vehicle when filing bankruptcy. Most people keep their car.

What happens depends on your car’s value, whether you owe money on it, and Maryland’s bankruptcy exemptions.

The key factor is equity. Equity equals your car’s current value minus any loan balance. Maryland lets you protect up to $11,000 of vehicle equity using the $6,000 wildcard exemption and the $5,000 motor vehicle exemption combined.

If you’re still making loan payments, you have three options:

Reaffirm the loan: Keep the car and stay on the loan. You need to be current on payments, and your equity must be protected. You’ll sign a reaffirmation agreement.

Redeem the car: Pay the lender the car’s fair market value in one lump sum. Helpful if your loan balance exceeds the car’s value.

Surrender the car: Return the car to the lender and erase the loan. Choose this if you’re behind on payments or can’t afford the car.

If you own your car outright, you can usually keep it as long as the full value fits within Maryland’s $11,000 combined exemption amount.

If you lease your car, you can either return it or keep the lease and stay current on payments.

Maryland Bankruptcy Means Test

To qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you must pass the means test. The test looks at your income to decide whether you can afford to repay debts. If your income is too high, you may need Chapter 13 instead.

The means test has two steps:

Step 1: Compares your household income to Maryland’s median income for your household size. If your income is below that number, you automatically qualify for Chapter 7.

Step 2: Only applies if your income exceeds the limit. It examines your expenses to determine disposable income. If your disposable income is too high, the court may decide you’re not eligible for Chapter 7.

Maryland Median Income Standards for 2025

The following income limits determine automatic Chapter 7 qualification in Maryland:

• 1 person household: Check current guidelines
• 2 person household: Check current guidelines
• 3 person household: Check current guidelines
• 4 person household: Check current guidelines

Maryland Fee Waiver Eligibility for 2025

You may qualify for a fee waiver if your monthly income is below 150% of the poverty level:

• 1 person: $1,882.50
• 2 people: $2,555.00
• 3 people: $3,227.50
• 4 people: $3,900.00
• 5 people: $4,572.50
• 6 people: $5,245.00
• 7 people: $5,917.50
• 8 people: $6,590.00
• 9 people: $7,262.50
• 10 people: $7,935.00

Maryland Districts and Filing Requirements

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland covers the entire state. It has two main locations: Baltimore and Greenbelt. Where you file depends on your county.

Baltimore Division

Garmatz Federal Courthouse
101 West Lombard Street
Suite 8530
Baltimore, MD 21201

File here if you live in: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester, Harford, Howard, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, or Worcester counties.

After-hours drop box available Monday through Friday, 4 p.m. to midnight.

Greenbelt Division

Federal Courthouse
6500 Cherrywood Lane
Suite 300
Greenbelt, MD 20770

File here if you live in: Allegany, Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Garrett, Montgomery, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s, or Washington counties.

After-hours drop box available Monday through Friday, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Electronic Self-Representation (eSR)

Maryland offers an online filing tool called Electronic Self-Representation for Chapter 7 filers without lawyers. Submit your forms online through this system. The court sends you additional forms to sign and return.

Your case isn’t officially filed until those signed documents and your filing fee (or fee waiver or installment forms) are received.

Additional Filing Requirements

Maryland requires a creditor mailing matrix. It’s a list of names and mailing addresses for everyone you owe money to. The court uses it to send official notices.

Maryland has specific formatting rules for the matrix. Include a certification form to confirm the list is complete.

Find all local forms on the Maryland Bankruptcy Court’s local forms page.

Use Maryland’s Chapter 7 checklist to verify you have everything needed.

How To Pay Your Filing Fee

The Chapter 7 filing fee is $338. Maryland accepts payment several ways:

Online payment: Pay using a debit card through Pay.gov. The Greenbelt clerk’s office has a public terminal for this payment.

By mail: Mail a money order or cashier’s check to the Baltimore courthouse. Make it payable to Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

In person at Baltimore: Pay with cash, money order, or certified check during regular business hours.

In person at Greenbelt: All in-person payments must be made electronically using a debit card at the court’s public Pay.gov terminal. Greenbelt no longer accepts cash, money orders, or certified checks at the counter.

The court does not accept personal checks or credit cards at either location.

If you can’t afford the fee, include a request to pay in installments or a fee waiver application when you file.

Maryland Bankruptcy Exemptions

Exemptions help protect the things you need to live. They exist so you can get relief from debt without losing everything.

If you’ve lived in Maryland for at least two years, you’ll use Maryland’s state exemptions. If not, you might use federal bankruptcy exemptions instead.

Key Maryland protections:

• Homestead exemption: Protects up to $31,575 in home equity
• Vehicle exemption: Protects up to $5,000 in one car
• Wildcard exemption: Protects up to $6,000 in cash or personal property, plus an extra $5,000 for other items
• Personal property exemption: Protects up to $1,000 in household goods
• Tools of the trade: Protects up to $5,000 in work equipment

Many Chapter 7 filers in Maryland protect all their property using these exemptions.

Maryland Bankruptcy Lawyer Cost

Hiring a bankruptcy lawyer is often the biggest expense in a Chapter 7 case. In Maryland, most attorneys charge a flat fee between $900 and $3,500. The cost depends on case complexity and lawyer experience.

Many people qualify for free legal help. If you can’t afford a lawyer, you can speak with a bankruptcy attorney for free to explore your options.

Maryland Legal Aid Organizations

If you can’t afford a lawyer but don’t feel comfortable filing alone, legal aid might help. Maryland has several organizations offering free or low-cost assistance.

Schedule a free consultation with a volunteer bankruptcy attorney through the Debtor Assistance Project.

You can also contact Maryland Legal Aid. Phone: (410) 951-7680. Address: 500 East Lexington Street, Baltimore, MD 21202.