How To File Bankruptcy for Free in Maryland

Collect Your Maryland Bankruptcy Documents

Before you dive into the forms, it helps to have your financial documents ready. Gathering everything now can make the process less stressful and help you avoid delays later on.

These are required:

• 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

📁 It can also help to collect a few other documents while you’re getting organized. These aren’t required, but they make it much easier to fill out your forms:

• 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. This is a good way to double-check that you’ve listed all your debts. If you leave anything out, it may not get wiped out in your case.

Take a Credit Counseling Course

Before you can file your bankruptcy case in Maryland, you’ll need to take a credit counseling course from an approved provider. This course gives an overview of your debt relief options and explains how bankruptcy works.

Here’s what to know:

• The course must be completed within 180 days before you file.

• It usually takes about an hour.

• It’s usually done online or over the phone, though some providers offer in-person options.

• It typically costs $10–$50, but many providers offer fee waivers if you qualify based on your income.

• After finishing the course, you’ll receive a certificate of completion.

📂 You’ll need to file this certificate with your bankruptcy paperwork. If the court doesn’t receive it, your case could be dismissed, and you’d have to start over.

Complete the Bankruptcy Forms

If you’re filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy without a lawyer, you’ll need to fill out a set of forms to start your case. These forms are the same in every state and include instructions to help you along the way. You can download them for free as fillable PDFs from USCourts.gov.

Some states also require local forms. We’ll go over Maryland’s local requirements in the Maryland Districts & Filing Requirements section later.

📝 Filling out the forms can feel overwhelming at first, but it’s much more manageable if you’ve gathered your documents and take it one page at a time. If you choose to work with a bankruptcy lawyer, they’ll usually complete the forms for you based on the information you provide.

Get Your Filing Fee

It costs $338 to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case. Most people pay this fee in full when they file their paperwork with the court.

If you can’t afford the full fee, you have two options. Many filers ask the court to waive the fee. To qualify, your income must be below 150% of the Maryland poverty guideline for your household size. 

🛡️ If you don’t qualify for a waiver but need to file right away — perhaps to stop a wage garnishment or repossession — your other option is to apply to pay in installments. This allows you to file your case and get the protection of the automatic stay while making smaller payments over time.

⚠️ If you miss a payment, though, the court may dismiss your case, and you could lose those legal protections. 

Print Your Bankruptcy Forms

Once your bankruptcy forms are filled out, the next step is getting them ready to file with the court. If you're filing without a lawyer in Maryland, you have options. You can submit your forms online, or you can print and deliver paper copies by mail or in person.

🖨️ If you’re printing, use regular, white, letter-size paper (8.5" x 11"), print everything single-sided, and use black ink. Don’t staple or hole-punch your forms. The court scans each page, so they need to be clean and easy to handle.

✍️ Take your time signing every spot that asks for a signature. It’s easy to miss one or two, especially with so many pages. The Maryland court recommends bringing one original and one copy of your full set. The clerk will file the originals and return your stamped copies for your records.

✅ You can also check your forms against the court checklist to be sure you have everything you need before filing.

If you're working with a lawyer, they’ll usually submit your forms electronically, so you won’t need to worry about printing at all.

File Your Forms With the Maryland Bankruptcy Court

Earlier, we mentioned the three ways to file your Chapter 7 bankruptcy forms in Maryland. Here’s a closer look at how each one works:

💻 Online using the court’s Electronic Self-Representation (eSR) system: This free tool is available to people filing without a lawyer. It guides you through entering your information and submitting your petition (your packet of paperwork) online. You may still need to print and mail a few documents afterward, but most of the process happens electronically.

🏛️ In person at the courthouse: Many people filing on their own choose to hand-deliver their forms. Filing in person can offer peace of mind, since the clerk can let you know if anything’s missing or unsigned right away. It’s also the fastest option if you’re facing urgent collection actions like wage garnishment.

📫 By mail: You can also send your documents by mail. Be sure to include your completed forms and either the $338 filing fee, a fee waiver application, or a request to pay in installments. If possible, use certified mail so you can track when your packet is delivered.

Mail Documents to Your Trustee

After you file your case, the court will assign a bankruptcy trustee. The trustee’s job is to review your paperwork, make sure everything checks out, and ask questions if anything needs clarification. They’ll also handle any issues regarding your property, but in most Chapter 7 cases, people don’t have to give up anything.

📬 Before your 341 meeting (a short meeting with your trustee to review your case), most trustees ask you to send copies of a few documents:

• Your two most recent federal tax returns

• A bank statement that includes the date you filed your case

• A clear copy of your government-issued photo ID

• Proof of your Social Security number (like your Social Security card, W-2, or pay stub)

• Proof of your current income, such as a recent pay stub

📅 These need to be sent at least 14 days before your 341 meeting. If you don’t have one of the items, just include a short note explaining that it’s unavailable.

📨 You’ll get your trustee’s name and contact information in an official court notice a few days after you file. Sometimes trustees request additional documents, too. If that happens, it’s best to send them as soon as possible to keep your case moving forward.

Take a Debtor Education Course

Before your bankruptcy case can be completed, you’ll need to take a second course called debtor education. It’s also known as a financial management course. This class teaches basic money skills, like budgeting, saving, and setting goals, to help you build a stronger financial future.

✅ This course is required to get your discharge (the court order that wipes out your debts). After you finish, you’ll receive a certificate of completion. That certificate must be filed with the court. If it isn’t filed by the deadline, the court may close your case without erasing your debts.

Quick facts about the course:

• You'll need to use a court-approved provider.

• You can take it any time after you file.

• Be sure to finish and file your certificate within 60 days of your 341 meeting.

• Some providers file the certificate for you; others ask you to do it.

Attend Your 341 Meeting

About a month after you file, you’ll have a short meeting with your bankruptcy trustee. This is called a 341 meeting or meeting of creditors. Despite the name, creditors almost never show up, and there's no judge involved. It’s usually just you and the trustee.

The trustee will check your ID and may ask questions about your paperwork, income, or property. The meeting is usually quick. Most last less than 10 minutes.

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

🪪 To verify your identity, you’ll need:

• A government-issued photo ID

• Proof of your Social Security number (like your Social Security card, a W-2, or a pay stub)

💡 It’s normal to feel a little nervous, but many people say the meeting was quicker and easier than they expected. Just answer honestly and take it one step at a time.

Deal With Your Car

In Maryland, a car is often a lifeline for work, appointments, or taking care of family. It’s completely normal to worry about losing your vehicle when filing bankruptcy. The good news is, many people are able to keep their car.

💡 What happens to your car mostly depends on how much it’s worth, whether you still owe money on it, and whether the value is protected by Maryland’s bankruptcy exemptions. 

The key factor is your equity. That’s the car’s current value minus any loan balance. If your car is paid off, the equity is its full value. If you’re still making payments, it’s the amount left after subtracting what you owe.

📊 Most people in Maryland can protect up to $11,000 of vehicle equity using a combination of the $6,000 wildcard exemption and the $5,000 motor vehicle exemption. If your equity fits within that amount, you can usually keep your car, whether it’s paid off or still financed.

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

• Reaffirm the loan: You agree to keep the car and stay on the loan. To do this, you usually need to be current on your loan payments, and your equity must be protected by the available exemptions. You’ll usually need to sign a reaffirmation agreement, too.

• Redeem the car: With redemption, you pay the lender the car’s fair market value in a single lump sum. This can be helpful if your loan balance is higher than the car’s value, but you’ll have to come up with a lump sum of cash.

• Surrender the car: You can return the car to the lender and erase the loan. This is called voluntary surrender. Many people choose this if they’re behind on payments or the car no longer fits their budget.

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.