The means test in Louisiana: median income

Check your income against the Louisiana median, and see what the second step and Chapter 13 involve.

Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026.

Short answer

These are the official U.S. Trustee Program medians for Louisiana. If your household's yearly income is below the median for its size, you pass the first step.

1 person
$59,447
2 people
$72,348
3 people
$84,602
4 people
$103,628
Each extra person
+$11,100
Medians apply to cases filed on or after
April 1, 2026

Louisiana median income check

Official Form 122A-1 compares your household's yearly income with the median income in Louisiana. Here are the official medians:

  • 1 person$59,447
  • 2 people$72,348
  • 3 people$84,602
  • 4 people$103,628
  • Each extra person+$11,100

Applies to cases filed on or after April 1, 2026. 1 = one earner; 2, 3, 4 = people in the household; add = amount added for each person over 4

The numbers are worked out in your browser. Nothing you enter here is saved or sent.

Before taxes. Add up all income for the last 6 months and divide by 6.

Enter your household size and income

Which court you file in, in Louisiana

You file in the federal district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the last 180 days. Your parish decides the district: Eastern District parishes at https://www.laeb.uscourts.gov/parish-information; the Middle District is Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes (https://www.lamb.uscourts.gov/MiddleDistrictMap); all other parishes are in the Western District (offices listed at https://www.lawb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations).

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1408; 28 U.S.C. 98

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

Divisions: New Orleans (13 parishes: Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington)

Clerk's phone: (504) 589-7878

Court's self-help page

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

Divisions: Baton Rouge (Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana parishes)

Clerk's phone: 225-346-3333

Court's self-help page

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

Divisions: Alexandria, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport

Clerk's phone: (318) 445-1890; toll free (866) 356-5221

Court's self-help page

Louisiana exemptions in brief

In Louisiana you use state exemptions only (exemptions are the property the law lets you keep).

Home (homestead): $35,000 in value of the home you own and live in, with the land and buildings: up to 5 acres inside a municipality or up to 200 acres outside one.

Car or other vehicle: $15,000 of equity in one motor vehicle for any purpose. If you are married or have a licensed-driver child in your household, a second vehicle with up to $15,000 equity.

Exemptions in Louisiana

In nearby states

  • Mississippi: 1 person $53,978 · 2 people $70,328 · 3 people $82,846 · 4 people $97,464
  • Arkansas: 1 person $58,421 · 2 people $73,630 · 3 people $82,329 · 4 people $97,054
  • Alabama: 1 person $64,321 · 2 people $77,451 · 3 people $92,698 · 4 people $106,740
  • Texas: 1 person $66,837 · 2 people $86,714 · 3 people $99,273 · 4 people $117,962
  • Oklahoma: 1 person $61,180 · 2 people $77,208 · 3 people $86,845 · 4 people $101,798
  • Tennessee: 1 person $63,979 · 2 people $82,846 · 3 people $97,511 · 4 people $109,585

Your next steps in Louisiana

  1. Gather your income

    Collect proof of all income for the last 6 months.

  2. Start with Form 122A-1

    The official first step is Official Form 122A-1.

  3. Above the median?

    Next comes the expense calculation on Official Form 122A-2.

  4. Find your court

    The forms are filed with Eastern District, Middle District and Western District.

Free help in Louisiana

Questions about the means test in Louisiana

What is the homestead exemption in Louisiana?

$35,000 in value of the home you own and live in, with the land and buildings: up to 5 acres inside a municipality or up to 200 acres outside one

Which bankruptcy court do I use in Louisiana?

You file in the federal district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the last 180 days. Your parish decides the district: Eastern District parishes at https://www.laeb.uscourts.gov/parish-information; the Middle District is Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes (https://www.lamb.uscourts.gov/MiddleDistrictMap); all other parishes are in the Western District (offices listed at https://www.lawb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations).

What are the Louisiana means test numbers?

For cases filed on or after April 1, 2026: 1 person: $59,447; 2 people: $72,348; 3 people: $84,602; 4 people: $103,628; Each extra person: +$11,100.

Is there free bankruptcy help in Louisiana?

Bankruptcy Self-Help Resource Center (The Pro Bono Project, New Orleans) - phone hotline first Friday of each month, 9 AM to noon, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (Chapters 7 and 13) and Southern University Bankruptcy Law Center (Chapter 7 only).

Related Louisiana pages