Chapter 7 vs Chapter 13 means-test tables

The U.S. Trustee Program means-testing page says the Administrative Expense Multipliers and the IRS National and Local Standards were updated on June 30, 2026. The revised multipliers and standards apply to cases filed on or after July 15, 2026.

What changes

The July 15, 2026 data page is the set you use after that date. It holds:

• Census Bureau median family income by state and household size, from the September 2025 Census release, for Official Forms 122A-1 and 122C-1.
• IRS National Standards for food, clothing, and other items, plus out-of-pocket health care.
• IRS Local Standards for housing and utilities by county, and for transportation by Census region.
• Chapter 13 administrative-expense multipliers by judicial district, used on line 36 of Forms 122A-2 and 122C-2.

Add $11,100 for each person in a household beyond four. That add-on is printed on the median-income table.

The IRS figures on that page are only for completing bankruptcy forms. They are not the figures the IRS uses to compute taxes.

Who it affects

Anyone taking the means test in a Chapter 7 case filed on or after July 15, 2026, and anyone completing a Chapter 13 disposable-income calculation on Form 122C-2 for a case filed that day or later.

If your current monthly income is over the state median, Chapter 7 uses these expense lines to decide whether abuse is presumed. Chapter 13 uses them as the starting point for disposable income on a five-year plan.

What you still owe or still need to do

The Census median-income table did not change on July 15. The Program applied an updated Census table to cases filed on or after April 1, 2026, and the July 15 page keeps those same state figures. The March 18, 2026 notice is that earlier update.

Credit counseling, the petition, and the automatic stay did not change. Do I need credit counseling before I file? is still the first filing step.

What to do now

If you are filling out Form 122A or 122C for a case filed on or after July 15, 2026, use the tables on the July 15 page, not an older printout. If you are still deciding whether to file, what to do when you can't keep up with the bills is the order. Chapter 7 versus Chapter 13 is the comparison that uses the means test.

Pages we updated

• What to do when you can't keep up with the bills now points to the July 15, 2026 expense tables.
• What's the difference between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13? links to this update for the current forms.