have to be below median + pass means test???

[ja181]

I'm in the eastern district of PA...my attorney is telling me I have to be both below the median income (I am well below it for 6 months) and that I also have to pass the means test...

Is that true? Does that make sense?

A large portion of my debt is medical bills from recent surgery too...

[ssmdem]

Just came to this realization myself yesterday. We are below the median income - but your expenses also have to outweigh your income - ours didn't. Look at Schedules I & J and plug in the numbers and see how you do. Ours wasn't far off, but enough that it makes more sense for us to reduce our income over the next six months (something we need to do anyway because of the effect that extra hours is having on our family and health) so that we can actually qualify for chapter 7.

[ja181]

Hmmm. If I'm doing this right, my I/J deficits come out to:

-$730 (somewhat liberal in expenses)
-$93 (conservative in expenses)

I wish my attorney would call me back.

[ssmdem]

Looks like you would be fine then. Show your numbers to your attorney and make sure they will fly. The trustee has to approve them. I have a meeting with a 3rd attorney in a couple of weeks and I plan to have all those figures in front of me to show her to see if she thinks I've been too liberal or too conservative - trying to see just where we need to be before we file.

[GettingGoing]

I'm in the eastern district of PA...my attorney is telling me I have to be both below the median income (I am well below it for 6 months) and that I also have to pass the means test...

Is that true? Does that make sense?

A large portion of my debt is medical bills from recent surgery too...

This doesn't really make sense because on form 22A which is currently monthly income and means test if after calculate your income it is below the median in your state then it tells you to skip to the bottom and not take the means test.