Where to file bankruptcy in Illinois

Which Illinois court you file in, its divisions and phone, and what happens after you file.

Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026.

Short answer

You file in the federal district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the last 180 days. Illinois has three districts.

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

The bankruptcy courts in Illinois

You file in the federal district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the last 180 days. Illinois has three districts. Your county decides the district and division: Northern District county list at https://www.ilnb.uscourts.gov/court-information2; Central District county lists on each office page (https://www.ilcb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations/peoria, https://www.ilcb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations/springfield, https://www.ilcb.uscourts.gov/content/urbana) and the map at https://www.ilcb.uscourts.gov/sites/ilcb/files/ILCB%20Counties%20-%20URBANA.pdf; Southern District map at https://www.ilsb.uscourts.gov/southern-district-illinois-case-assignment-map.

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1408

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

Divisions: Eastern Division (Chicago): Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane, Will, Grundy, LaSalle, Kendall counties; Western Division (Rockford): Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, JoDaviess, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, Winnebago counties

Clerk's phone: (312) 408-5000 (Chicago); (815) 987-4350 (Rockford)

Court's self-help page

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of Illinois

Divisions: Peoria (Bureau, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Knox, Marshall, McDonough, Mercer, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Tazewell, Warren, Woodford); Springfield (Adams, Brown, Cass, Christian, DeWitt, Greene, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Mason, McLean, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Pike, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, Shelby); Urbana (Champaign, Coles, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee, Livingston, Moultrie, Piatt, Vermilion)

Clerk's phone: (309) 671-7035 (Peoria); (217) 492-4551 (Springfield); (217) 974-7330 (Urbana)

Court's self-help page

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

Divisions: East St. Louis, Benton

Clerk's phone: (618) 482-9400 (East St. Louis); (618) 435-2200 (Benton)

Court's self-help page

In nearby states

Indiana: Northern District and Southern District
Missouri: Eastern District and Western District
Iowa: Northern District and Southern District

Your next steps in Illinois

Find your district
You file where you lived for most of the last 180 days.
Read your court's pages
Each court lists its divisions, hours and local rules: Northern District, Central District and Southern District.
Do the first course
Use an approved agency. U.S. Trustee list of approved credit counseling agencies.
Prepare the forms
Download the official bankruptcy forms.
Talk to legal aid
Ask for free help: Chicago Bankruptcy Pro Se Help Desk (U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Chicago Bar Association and Legal Aid Chicago) and Legal Aid Chicago.

Where to get free help in Illinois

Questions about filing in Illinois

How do I find my bankruptcy court in Illinois?

What income passes the means test in Illinois?

For cases filed on or after April 1, 2026: 1 person: $73,180; 2 people: $93,934; 3 people: $113,625; 4 people: $137,902; Each extra person: +$11,100.

Who helps with bankruptcy for free in Illinois?

Chicago Bankruptcy Pro Se Help Desk (U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Chicago Bar Association and Legal Aid Chicago), Legal Aid Chicago and Prairie State Legal Services (bankruptcy legal advice line for northern and western Illinois).

Related Illinois 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)

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 Illinois

Short answer

The bankruptcy courts in Illinois

In nearby states

Your next steps in Illinois

Find your district

Read your court's pages

Do the first course

Prepare the forms

Talk to legal aid

Where to get free help in Illinois

Questions about filing in Illinois

Related Illinois pages