B 103B
Application to Have the Chapter 7 Filing Fee Waived
Form B 103B, printed as Official Form 103B, is the Application to Have the Chapter 7 Filing Fee Waived. It is an Official Bankruptcy Form from the U.S. Courts, listed under Individual Debtors and effective on December 1, 2015. The U.S. Courts page says it is derived from Official Form 3B, that it may be altered as described on the Permitted Changes page, and that Official Bankruptcy Forms are approved by the Judicial Conference and must be used under Bankruptcy Rule 9009.
The application asks about family size and income, monthly expenses, property, and payments for help with the case, and is signed under penalty of perjury. Its last page is an order for the court, which grants or denies the application or schedules a hearing. The instructions booklet says the fee for filing a bankruptcy case under chapter 7 is $338. It also says that after reviewing the application the court may waive the fee, set a hearing for further investigation, or require payment in installments or in full.
This page explains the form in plain words and is not legal advice. You can fill it out free in your browser on this page and download the result without an account.
Lines 1 to 5: family size (you, your spouse and dependents listed on Schedule J), average monthly net income, non-cash governmental assistance, any expected change of more than 10% in the next 6 months, and why the fee cannot be paid in installments within 120 days.
Lines 6 to 9: average monthly expenses (line 22 of Schedule J, if filled out), whether they cover anyone outside the family, regular contributions from others, and any expected change of more than 10%.
Lines 10 to 16: cash, bank accounts (not 401(k) and IRA accounts), a home, other real estate, vehicles, other assets, and money or property owed to you. With Schedule A/B already filled out, the form says to attach copies and go to Part 4.
Lines 17 to 20: payments made or promised to an attorney, a bankruptcy petition preparer, paralegal, typing service or someone else, payments made on your behalf, and bankruptcy filings within the last 8 years.
Each debtor declares under penalty of perjury that they cannot afford to pay the filing fee either in full or in installments, and that the information in the application is true and correct.
Completed by the court: the application is granted, denied with a payment schedule, or scheduled for hearing. A granted waiver notes that the court may order the fee paid in the future if the waiver proves unwarranted.
The instructions say Schedule A/B, Schedule I and Schedule J, if already completed, may help. Lines 2, 6 and 8 point to specific lines of Schedules I and J.
Line 1 counts you, your spouse and any dependents listed on Schedule J. The instructions say your family may be different from your household on Schedules I and J.
Line 2 adds take-home pay and the value, if known, of non-cash governmental assistance such as SNAP benefits or housing subsidies, then subtracts that assistance for the total. Line 5 asks why installments within 120 days are not possible.
Fill in Part 3, or attach copies of Schedule A/B and go to Part 4, then answer lines 17 to 20 about payments for help with the case and earlier bankruptcy filings.
The form asks for answers that are as complete and accurate as possible. If more space is needed, attach a separate sheet with your name and case number, if known, at the top.
Each debtor signs and dates Part 5 under penalty of perjury. The court fills in the order on page 4.
You get the real form, filled in a browser tab, with nothing standing between you and the finished PDF.
With the United States Bankruptcy Court for the district named at the top of page 1. The instructions list it among the papers given to the court when the case is filed, if the entire filing fee cannot be paid.
The instructions say the fee for filing a bankruptcy case under chapter 7 is $338. Form B 103B itself does not print the amount.
For the 150% figure, the instructions point to https://www.uscourts.gov/administration-policies/judiciary-policies/bankruptcy-case-policies for more about the guidelines. The form itself does not print a dollar limit.
The order lists amounts and due dates. It says the debtor may propose a different timetable by motion, using Official Form 103A, and must pay the entire fee before paying an attorney or petition preparer more and to receive a discharge.
If the court schedules a hearing, the order gives the date, time and courthouse address, and says the court may deny the application if the debtor does not appear.
B 103A
37 fields, 2 pages
B 101
159 fields, 9 pages
B 106I
85 fields, 2 pages
B 106J
79 fields, 3 pages
B 106A/B
368 fields, 10 pages
B 119
54 fields, 2 pages
The debtor fills out and signs the application. The order on the last page is completed by the court.
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The instructions booklet says the fee for filing a bankruptcy case under chapter 7 is $338. Form B 103B itself does not print the amount.
The instructions say the total combined monthly income for the family is less than 150% of the official poverty guideline last published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The form itself does not print a dollar limit.
The form and the instructions cover the chapter 7 filing fee only. The instructions say to use it if you cannot afford the entire fee now in full or in installments within 120 days, and point to Official Form 103A for paying in installments.
The court. The last page is an order signed by a United States Bankruptcy Judge, who may grant it, deny it with a payment schedule, or schedule a hearing.
The order says that when the application is granted, the court may still order the debtor to pay the fee in the future if developments in administering the bankruptcy case show that the waiver was unwarranted.
Line 2 says to include your spouse's income if your spouse is living with you, even if your spouse is not filing, and not to include it if you are separated and your spouse is not filing with you.
No. This page explains the form in plain words and is not legal advice. The instructions booklet says it is not intended to provide legal advice, and that court employees cannot give legal advice either.
