qualifying for Chapter 7.... means test

[2011]

so I had a lawyer want to charge me $600 just to do a means test...

I am considering pro se but regardless is there is online means test??? someway for me to know for sure we qualify??

family size 6...

[clevelandmom]

2011 - forget that attorney and go find one that will do a FREE consultation! Most of them do. When we had our free consultation, they did the Means Test right then and there for us. Don't mess around with the one you went to. There are SO MANY BK attorneys out there. Come back and let us know how you did!

[drowning123]

Why is 2011 having such a hard time with attorneys? Is it a location thing? Try to find one outside of the city. Maybe that will help.

[ValleYum]

2011:

There is an online means calculator here: http://www.legalconsumer.com/bankrup...means-test.php

Put in your zip code and answer the questions - there are several charts to consult but it give a pretty decent result. YMMV.

Here is a link to an awesome line by line instruction sheet for the Means Test. One of our more frequent posters (can't recall who but Thank you!!) linked it here and it was AMAZING in the help it provided to me. http://www.justice.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa...ne_by_line.pdf

[2011]

I assume you are over the median income for a family size of 6 in your state.

I cant seem to find a reliable source for the answer.. I am in maryland but do not know what the median income is for family size 6

Why is 2011 having such a hard time with attorneys? Is it a location thing? Try to find one outside of the city. Maybe that will help.

I think much of the problem is, I tried to stick with attorneys who are BK certified rather than an attorney who knows how to do BKs... the former may know they are "worth" more than the latter


Time is of the essence since for several reasons I need to file before 12/31


The lawyer wanting to charge $600 called ( well his secretary did) to say.... the $600 will go towards my BK fee of $2500 IF I immediately qualify for BK7... If he needs to do an in-depth qualification ( his words) then he will charge the $600 + $2500* filing fees

[free2breathe]

I cant seem to find a reliable source for the answer.. I am in maryland but do not know what the median income is for family size 6

http://www.justice.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa/meanstesting.htm

This is the best place to find the median income for your state.

$116,693 for a family of 6 in Maryland.

[2011]

http://www.justice.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa/meanstesting.htm
This is the best place to find the median income for your state.

$116,693 for a family of 6 in Maryland.

well we are definitely OVER... unless the attorney can work some magic

[free2breathe]

well we are definitely OVER... unless the attorney can work some magic

2011, you can go here http://www.legalconsumer.com/bankruptcy/nolo/ and follow the instructions. It is a link to an online means test. It is pretty self-explanatory.

[Clabbergirl]

Others have suggested the online means test I used, but after meeting with an attorney, was told is only an estimate. He said each district decides what things you can and cannot enter (such as telecommunications, etc.). It's worth doing for a rough estimate, but I agree with others - find a lawyer who offers a free consultation.

[tcreegan]

Hi 2011,

From what I have seen posted on the forum, these are the trouble points w/ attorney/client relationship:

Communication: phone/email/face-to-face, secretary/paralegal/attorney, turnaround time on responses
Organizaton/work ethic: dot all i's, cross all t's or 'good enough,' document filed ASAP or 'before the deadline'
Competence: know the local trustees, judges, filed cases like yours, up-to-date on relevant court rulings
Retainer/Fee: exactly what is covered, what is extra, what to expect as 'extra'

If you need to file b4 the end of the year, time to pull out all the stops and squeeze in as many consultations as possible b4 the Holidays..

In the meantime; go here and download form B22a http://www.uscourts.gov/FormsAndFees...ptcyForms.aspx

Get the NOLO book from www.nolo.com Use it to fill out B22a

Use this link from free2breathe to get data for filling it out: http://www.justice.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa...anstesting.htm

Use this link from free2breathe to check over what you filled out http://www.justice.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa...ne_by_line.pdf

(Thanks free2breathe!)

You can be over median and still file Ch 7, deducting the allowed expenses will tell you if you can get your iincome down to median.

Lastly, are you looking at a Ch 13 as a back-up plan? Assuming the worst and the Ch 7 fails completely, what are your options?

Good luck, I hope you can find a good attorney before Christmas!

Tom in Colo