Where to file bankruptcy in Arkansas

The federal bankruptcy courts in Arkansas, how to pick yours, fees, required courses and the meeting of creditors.

Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026.

Short answer

You file in the federal bankruptcy district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the 180 days before filing.

Federal bankruptcy courts: 2
Courts: Eastern District and Western District

Some of Arkansas's rules rest on limited sources. Check the official sources below, or ask the court or a legal aid office, before you rely on them.

The bankruptcy courts in Arkansas

You file in the federal bankruptcy district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the 180 days before filing. Arkansas has two districts (Eastern and Western), served by one bankruptcy court with offices in Little Rock and Fayetteville. See court locations: https://www.arb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations.

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1408

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas

Divisions: One court serves both districts; offices in Little Rock and Fayetteville

Clerk's phone: 501-918-5500

Court's self-help page

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Arkansas

Divisions: One court serves both districts; offices in Little Rock and Fayetteville

Clerk's phone: 479-582-9800 (Fayetteville)

Court's self-help page

In nearby states

Mississippi: Northern District and Southern District
Missouri: Eastern District and Western District
Louisiana: Eastern District, Middle District and Western District

What to do now in Arkansas

Pick the right court
Your district depends on where you lived most of the last 180 days.
Read your court's pages
Local forms and rules are on Eastern District and Western District.
Get your counseling certificate
Take it before you file and keep the certificate. U.S. Trustee list of approved credit counseling agencies.
Prepare the forms
Get the official bankruptcy forms.
Get help
Legal aid can help for free: Legal Aid of Arkansas and Arkansas Legal Services Online.

Free legal help in Arkansas

Questions about filing in Arkansas

Which bankruptcy court do I use in Arkansas?

What is the median income for the means test in Arkansas?

For cases filed on or after April 1, 2026: 1 person: $58,421; 2 people: $73,630; 3 people: $82,329; 4 people: $97,054; Each extra person: +$11,100.

Is there free bankruptcy help in Arkansas?

Legal Aid of Arkansas and Arkansas Legal Services Online.

Related Arkansas pages

Filing fees

Chapter 7 filing fee. To file Chapter 7 you pay $338 to the court: a $245 filing fee, a $78 administrative fee and a $15 trustee fee. A married couple filing one joint case pays one set of fees.

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1930(a)(1)(A); Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, items 8 and 9 (effective December 1, 2023)

Chapter 13 filing fee. To file Chapter 13 you pay $313 to the court: a $235 filing fee and a $78 administrative fee.

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1930(a)(1)(B); Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, item 8 (effective December 1, 2023)

Paying in installments. If you cannot pay the whole fee at once, you can ask to pay it in installments. File Official Form 103A with your petition. The court decides the plan: no more than 4 payments, all paid within 120 days after you file. For a good reason the court can give you more time, but the last payment must be made within 180 days. Until the fee is paid in full, you may not pay your lawyer or petition preparer.

Law: Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1006(b) (as amended Dec. 1, 2024)

Fee waiver. In Chapter 7 only, the court may waive the fee. You must have income below 150% of the official poverty line for your family size, and you must be unable to pay the fee even in installments. Ask by filing Official Form 103B with your petition. The judge decides.

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1930(f)(1); Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1006(c)

The meeting of creditors

About a month after you file, you must attend the 'meeting of creditors' (341 meeting). The trustee asks you questions under oath about your property and debts. Creditors may come and ask questions. No judge attends. Chapter 7: 21 to 40 days after filing. Chapter 13: 21 to 50 days after filing. Bring photo ID and proof of your Social Security number. If you file jointly, both spouses must attend.

Law: 11 U.S.C. 341, 343; Fed. R. Bankr. P. 2003(a), 4002(b)(1)

The courses you must take

Credit counseling before you file. Before you file, you must take a credit counseling course (a 'briefing') from an agency approved by the U.S. Trustee Program. You must take it within 180 days before you file. It can be in person, by phone or online, alone or in a group. Keep the certificate: you file it with your case. If you skip it, your case can be dismissed.

Law: 11 U.S.C. 109(h), 111

Debtor education after you file. After you file, you must take a second, separate course on personal financial management (debtor education) from an approved provider. In most cases you get no discharge without it. Chapter 7: file the certificate within 60 days after the first date set for the meeting of creditors. Chapter 13: by the date of your last plan payment. Some providers send the certificate to the court for you.

Law: 11 U.S.C. 727(a)(11), 1328(g); Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1007(b)(7), 1007(c)(4)

Where to file bankruptcy in Arkansas

Short answer

The bankruptcy courts in Arkansas

In nearby states

What to do now in Arkansas

Pick the right court

Read your court's pages

Get your counseling certificate

Prepare the forms

Get help

Free legal help in Arkansas

Questions about filing in Arkansas

Related Arkansas pages