Where to file bankruptcy in Kansas

Which Kansas 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. All of Kansas is one district.

Federal bankruptcy courts: 1
Courts: U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Kansas

The bankruptcy courts in Kansas

You file in the federal district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the last 180 days. All of Kansas is one district. For a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 case: if you live in Wyandotte or Johnson County you must file in Kansas City, in Shawnee or Douglas County in Topeka, and in Sedgwick or Butler County in Wichita; from any other county you may file in any of the three offices (Standing Order 25-1: https://www.ksb.uscourts.gov/sites/ksb/files/SO_25_1.pdf).

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1408

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Kansas

Divisions: Kansas City, Topeka, Wichita

Clerk's phone: 913-735-2110 (Kansas City); 785-338-5910 (Topeka); 316-315-4110 (Wichita)

Court's self-help page

In nearby states

Oklahoma: Northern District, Eastern District and Western District
Nebraska: U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Nebraska
Missouri: Eastern District and Western District

Steps to file in Kansas

Check where you lived
You file where you lived for most of the last 180 days.
Read your court's pages
Local forms and rules are on U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Kansas.
Do the first course
Take it before you file and keep the certificate. U.S. Trustee list of approved credit counseling agencies.
Fill in the forms
The forms are free: official bankruptcy forms.
Talk to legal aid
Legal aid can help for free: Kansas Legal Services and Kansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service.

Free legal help in Kansas

Questions about filing in Kansas

How do I find my bankruptcy court in Kansas?

What income passes the means test in Kansas?

For cases filed on or after April 1, 2026: 1 person: $69,197; 2 people: $87,441; 3 people: $103,852; 4 people: $125,971; Each extra person: +$11,100.

Where can I get free help with bankruptcy in Kansas?

Kansas Legal Services and Kansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service.

Related Kansas 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 341 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 Kansas

Short answer

The bankruptcy courts in Kansas

In nearby states

Steps to file in Kansas

Check where you lived

Read your court's pages

Do the first course

Fill in the forms

Talk to legal aid

Free legal help in Kansas

Questions about filing in Kansas

Related Kansas pages