How To File Bankruptcy for Free in Maine

Collect Your State Bankruptcy Documents

To get started on your Chapter 7 bankruptcy case, you’ll need to gather several financial documents. These will help you answer questions about your income, expenses, and debts.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Pay stubs from the past six months

• Tax returns from the last two years

• A bank statement that covers your bankruptcy filing date

It also helps to gather a few more documents while you’re getting organized. These can make filling out your forms faster and more accurate:

• Bank statements from the last 6–12 months

• Credit card and loan statements

• Letters or notices from debt collectors

• A recent credit report

🧾 You can get free weekly credit reports from all three credit bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com.

🛠️ If you use Upsolve’s free filing tool, it will pull your credit report for you automatically.

Take a Credit Counseling Course

Before you file your bankruptcy case, you must complete a credit counseling course. This class covers how credit works, ways to manage or reduce debt, and alternatives to bankruptcy so you can make the choice that’s right for you.

Here’s what to expect:

• Most people take the course online or by phone. It takes about 1–2 hours.

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

• It usually costs $10–$50, but many people qualify for a fee waiver.

• You must use a state-approved provider.

• When you finish, you’ll get a certificate that must be filed with your bankruptcy forms. Without it, your case could be dismissed.

Once you’ve finished the course and have your certificate, you’re ready to move on to the next step: filling out the bankruptcy forms that start your case.

Complete the Bankruptcy Forms

The bankruptcy forms you’ll need are federal forms, which means they’re the same in every state. You can download them for free as fillable PDFs from USCourts.gov. 

⚙️ Many people use Upsolve’s free filing tool to complete these forms. It walks you through an online questionnaire, then generates all the required forms based on your answers. This can save time and help you feel more confident that you're including everything the court needs.

If you work with a bankruptcy lawyer, their office will usually prepare the forms for you based on the information you provide.

Get Your Filing Fee

It costs $338 to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case. Many people who qualify for Chapter 7 also qualify for a fee waiver. This means you wouldn’t have to pay the filing fee at all. 

✨ If you use Upsolve’s free filing tool, the tool will prepare a fee waiver request for you.

If you don’t qualify for a waiver, you can ask the court to let you pay in installments. You’ll typically make a down payment when you file, and then pay the remainder over the next few months. Just know that if you miss a payment, your case could be dismissed, and you’d have to start over.

✋ Some people wait until they can pay the full amount at once, but others file quickly because they’re facing things like wage garnishment or foreclosure. Once you file, something called the automatic stay goes into effect. This stops most collection actions right away and gives you some breathing room while your case moves forward.

Print Your Bankruptcy Forms

Once you’ve completed your forms, it’s time to get them ready for the court. Most people print their forms so they can file in person or by mail.

Follow these printing best practices:

• Use black ink.

• Print on regular white 8.5” x 11” paper.

• Print single-sided only.

• Don’t staple or hole-punch your forms.

✍️ Review each page and sign everywhere required. Your case could be delayed if signatures are missing.

👉 Use this checklist to make sure you have all the required documents. Many people also keep a full copy of everything for their records.

 ✨ If you’re using Upsolve’s filing tool, you’ll get a ready-to-print packet with everything you need, plus dividers showing exactly where to sign.

If you hire a bankruptcy lawyer, you won’t need to print or deliver anything yourself. They’ll file your case electronically on your behalf.

File Your Forms With the Maine Bankruptcy Court

If you’re filing without a lawyer in Maine, you have three ways to get your forms to the court:

• 💻 Online using the court’s free Electronic Self-Representation (eSR) system

• 🏛️ In person at the courthouse in Bangor or Portland

• 📬 By mail to the correct courthouse for your county

👤 Filing in person is the quickest way to start your case and can give you peace of mind. The clerk can check that your forms are complete and signed, and you’ll leave knowing your case is officially filed.

Mail Documents to Your Trustee

After you file your bankruptcy forms, the court will assign a bankruptcy trustee to review your case. They’ll check your forms for accuracy and handle any issues involving your property (though in most Chapter 7 cases, you get to keep everything you own).

You’ll meet with your trustee in what’s called a 341 meeting usually about a month after you file. Before that happens, you’ll need to mail your trustee a copy of these documents:

• Your two most recent federal tax returns

• A bank statement that includes your bankruptcy filing date

• A clear copy of your photo ID (like a driver’s license or passport)

• 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 documents must be sent at least 14 days before your 341 meeting.

✉️  You’ll get your trustee’s name and contact information in an official notice from the court after you file. Some trustees also send a letter asking for more paperwork. If that happens, sending what they request as soon as you can will help keep your case on track.

📝  If you’re missing something the trustee requires, you can include a short note explaining why it isn’t available. 

Take a Debtor Education Course

Before your case can be closed successfully, you’ll need to take one more short class called the debtor education course. It’s designed to help you build a strong financial foundation going forward. It covers things like budgeting, using credit wisely, and setting money goals.

Here are some important details:

• Most people take the course online or by phone. It usually takes about 1–2 hours.

• You must take the course within 60 days of your 341 meeting.

• Use a court-approved provider.

✅ Remember to file your certificate with the court. If you don’t, your case could be dismissed without your debts being wiped out.

Attend Your 341 Meeting

About a month after you file, you’ll meet with your bankruptcy trustee in the 341 meeting (also known as the meeting of creditors). The trustee will ask a few questions under oath about your forms, finances, and property.

💻 These meetings are usually held online, via Zoom, and they’re often very short—just 5–10 minutes. You won’t see a judge, and creditors rarely attend. It’s usually just a quick check-in to confirm the details in your forms.

🪪 At the meeting, you’ll need to show two forms of ID:

• A government-issued photo ID, like a driver’s license or passport

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

It helps to review your forms ahead of time and have them handy. Just listen carefully and answer the trustee’s questions clearly and honestly.

✅ Once your 341 meeting is complete and your debtor education certificate is filed, you’ll usually receive your discharge in about 60–90 days. You’re almost there!

Deal With Your Car

In Maine, having a car is often a necessity, especially if you rely on it to get to work, take care of your family, or run errands. Many people worry they’ll lose their car if they file for bankruptcy, but the truth is that most filers keep their car.

Whether you can keep your car depends on how much equity you have in it (what it’s worth minus any loan balance) and whether its value is protected by a legal safeguard called an exemption. Maine’s vehicle exemption lets you protect up to $10,000 of equity in one car.

🚗 If you have a car loan, you’ve got three main options:

• Reaffirm the loan: You agree to keep making payments and stay in the loan agreement. Filers who are current on payments and find the car loan manageable often choose this option.

• Redeem the car: You pay the lender a lump sum equal to the car’s current value. The rest of your loan is wiped out in the bankruptcy. This can make sense if the car is worth less than what you owe and you have access to a lump sum of money.

• Surrender the car: If your payments are unaffordable or the car isn’t worth keeping, you can return it to the lender and have the remaining loan balance erased.

🚘 If you own your car outright, you’ll likely be able to keep it as long as its value is under the $10,000 exemption limit. 

🚙 If you lease your car, the process works a little differently, but you still have options. Read our guide to leases in bankruptcy to learn more.