Where to file bankruptcy in Missouri

Where to file in Missouri, what it costs and what comes next.

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 you file.

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

The bankruptcy courts in Missouri

You file in the federal bankruptcy district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the 180 days before you file. Missouri has two districts, Eastern and Western. Eastern District divisional map: https://www.moeb.uscourts.gov/divisional-map; Western District courthouse locations: https://www.mow.uscourts.gov/offices

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1408

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

Divisions: St. Louis (Eastern, staffed); Cape Girardeau (Southeastern) and Hannibal (Northern), staffed only on court days

Clerk's phone: (314) 244-4500

Court's self-help page

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

Divisions: Clerk's office in Kansas City; courthouses in Kansas City, Jefferson City and Springfield

Clerk's phone: 816-512-1800

Court's self-help page

In nearby states

Illinois: Northern District, Central District and Southern District
Arkansas: Eastern District and Western District
Iowa: Northern District and Southern District

Your next steps in Missouri

Pick the right court
Your district depends on where you lived most of the last 180 days.
Visit the court's website
Local forms and rules are on Eastern District and Western District.
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
Download the official bankruptcy forms.
Get help
Free help: Legal Services of Eastern Missouri and Legal Aid of Western Missouri.

Free help in Missouri

Questions about filing in Missouri

How do I find my bankruptcy court in Missouri?

What are the Missouri means test numbers?

For cases filed on or after April 1, 2026: 1 person: $64,972; 2 people: $82,075; 3 people: $100,228; 4 people: $118,530; Each extra person: +$11,100.

Is there free bankruptcy help in Missouri?

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Legal Aid of Western Missouri and The Missouri Bar (main office).

More for Missouri

Court 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 Missouri

Short answer

The bankruptcy courts in Missouri

In nearby states

Your next steps in Missouri

Pick the right court

Visit the court's website

Do the first course

Fill in the forms

Get help

Free help in Missouri

Questions about filing in Missouri

More for Missouri