Where to file bankruptcy in Florida

The federal bankruptcy courts in Florida, 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 district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the last 180 days. Florida has three districts.

Federal bankruptcy courts: 3
Courts: Northern District, Middle District and Southern District

The bankruptcy courts in Florida

You file in the district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the last 180 days. Florida has three districts. Find your division by county: Northern District list https://www.flnb.uscourts.gov/sites/flnb/files/city_county_listings.pdf, Middle District list https://www.flmb.uscourts.gov/counties/, Southern District list https://www.flsb.uscourts.gov/court/locations.

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1408

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Florida

Divisions: Tallahassee, Pensacola, Panama City, Gainesville

Clerk's phone: (850) 521-5001 or toll-free (866) 639-4615

Court's self-help page

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida

Divisions: Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Myers (Fort Myers has no staffed bankruptcy clerk's office; self-represented filers file in Tampa by hand or mail)

Clerk's phone: Jacksonville (904) 301-6490; Orlando (407) 237-8000; Tampa and Fort Myers (813) 301-5162

Court's self-help page

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida

Divisions: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach

Clerk's phone: Miami (305) 714-1800; Fort Lauderdale (954) 769-5700; West Palm Beach (561) 514-4100

Court's self-help page

In nearby states

Georgia: Northern District, Middle District and Southern District
South Carolina: U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Carolina
Alabama: Northern District, Middle District and Southern District

Your next steps in Florida

Pick the right court
The court is set by where you lived for most of the past 180 days.
Visit the court's website
Each court lists its divisions, hours and local rules: Northern District, Middle District and Southern District.
Take credit counseling
Take it before you file and keep the certificate. U.S. Trustee list of approved credit counseling agencies.
Fill in the forms
Get the official bankruptcy forms.
Get help
Ask for free help: Northern District of Florida Bankruptcy Pro Se Clinic (Bankruptcy Bar Association for the N.D. Fla.) and N.D. Fla. Bankruptcy Bar Pro Bono Initiative – P.L.A.N. program.

Where to get free help in Florida

Questions about filing in Florida

How do I find my bankruptcy court in Florida?

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

For cases filed on or after April 1, 2026: 1 person: $69,876; 2 people: $86,523; 3 people: $97,540; 4 people: $114,761; Each extra person: +$11,100.

Where can I get free help with bankruptcy in Florida?

Northern District of Florida Bankruptcy Pro Se Clinic (Bankruptcy Bar Association for the N.D. Fla.), N.D. Fla. Bankruptcy Bar Pro Bono Initiative – P.L.A.N. program and Florida State University College of Law Bankruptcy Pro Bono Clinic.

Related Florida 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)

After you file: the meeting

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)

Credit counseling and debtor education

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 Florida

Short answer

The bankruptcy courts in Florida

In nearby states

Your next steps in Florida

Pick the right court

Visit the court's website

Take credit counseling

Fill in the forms

Get help

Where to get free help in Florida

Questions about filing in Florida

Related Florida pages