The means test in New York: median income
The official median income for New York, a quick first-step check and what happens if your income is above it.
Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026.
Short answer
These are the official U.S. Trustee Program medians for New York. If your household's yearly income is below the median for its size, you pass the first step.
- 1 person
- $73,272
- 2 people
- $92,902
- 3 people
- $115,579
- 4 people
- $139,040
- Each extra person
- +$11,100
- Medians apply to cases filed on or after
- April 1, 2026
Are you below the New York median?
Official Form 122A-1 compares your household's yearly income with the median income in New York. Here are the official medians:
- 1 person$73,272
- 2 people$92,902
- 3 people$115,579
- 4 people$139,040
- 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
New York bankruptcy courts and divisions
You file in the district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the last 180 days. New York has four districts: Eastern (Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Long Island), Southern (Manhattan, the Bronx, Westchester, Rockland and the mid-Hudson Valley), Northern and Western. Columbia, Greene and Ulster counties are served by both the Northern and the Southern District. To find your division, check the court's county list: https://www.nyeb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations (Eastern), https://www.nysb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations (Southern), https://www.nynb.uscourts.gov/northern-district-new-york-counties (Northern), https://www.nywb.uscourts.gov/counties-served (Western).
Law: 28 U.S.C. 1408
Divisions: Brooklyn (Kings, Queens and Richmond counties), Central Islip (Nassau and Suffolk counties)
Clerk's phone: (347) 394-1700
Divisions: Albany (Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Essex, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Ulster, Warren, Washington counties), Utica (Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego, St. Lawrence counties), Syracuse (Cayuga, Cortland, Jefferson, Onondaga, Oswego, Tioga, Tompkins counties)
Clerk's phone: 518-257-1661
Divisions: Manhattan (Bronx and New York counties), White Plains (Rockland and Westchester counties), Poughkeepsie (Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Sullivan counties; shared with the Northern District for Columbia, Greene and Ulster)
Clerk's phone: 212-668-2870
Divisions: Buffalo (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie counties), Rochester (Chemung, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Yates counties); cases from Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties go to either judge
Clerk's phone: (716) 362-3200
New York exemptions in brief
In New York you choose state or federal exemptions (exemptions are the property the law lets you keep).
Home (homestead): depends on the county where the home is: from $102,400 to $204,825.
Car or other vehicle: $5,500 in equity in one motor vehicle; $13,625 if the vehicle is equipped for use by a disabled debtor. Per debtor.
Wildcard (any property): Only if you do not claim the homestead: $1,325 in any personal property, bank account or cash. Also only without the homestead: extra cash (money, bank deposits, savings bonds, tax refunds) up to $6,825, or the amount by which your personal property exemptions fall short of the $13,625 cap, whichever is less (Debt. & Cred. Law 283(2)).
In nearby states
- Vermont: 1 person $72,461 · 2 people $96,963 · 3 people $114,075 · 4 people $137,583
- Connecticut: 1 person $84,302 · 2 people $106,224 · 3 people $134,470 · 4 people $159,934
- Pennsylvania: 1 person $72,230 · 2 people $87,534 · 3 people $110,151 · 4 people $135,862
- Massachusetts: 1 person $88,202 · 2 people $112,708 · 3 people $139,411 · 4 people $178,524
- New Jersey: 1 person $87,173 · 2 people $106,876 · 3 people $137,136 · 4 people $168,127
- Rhode Island: 1 person $77,653 · 2 people $98,736 · 3 people $119,419 · 4 people $137,479
Steps for the means test in New York
Total your income
Collect proof of all income for the last 6 months.
Do the official first step
The official first step is Official Form 122A-1.
If you are above the median
Next comes the expense calculation on Official Form 122A-2.
Find your court
Your court: Eastern District, Northern District, Southern District and Western District.
Ask for free help
Legal aid can help for free: New York Southern District Bankruptcy Free Legal Clinic (free 30-minute phone consultation with a volunteer bankruptcy lawyer; for Bronx, Dutchess, New York, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Westchester, Columbia, Ulster and Greene counties) and City Bar Justice Center — Homeowner and Consumer Debt Advocacy Project (helps eligible New Yorkers prepare a Chapter 7 case; runs the Bankruptcy Pro Bono Panel).
Free help in New York
- New York Southern District Bankruptcy Free Legal Clinic (free 30-minute phone consultation with a volunteer bankruptcy lawyer; for Bronx, Dutchess, New York, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Westchester, Columbia, Ulster and Greene counties) · (212) 284-4040
- City Bar Justice Center — Homeowner and Consumer Debt Advocacy Project (helps eligible New Yorkers prepare a Chapter 7 case; runs the Bankruptcy Pro Bono Panel) · 212-382-6707
- The Legal Project — Bankruptcy and Credit Program (Albany area; free consultations, representation if you qualify by income; listed by the Northern District court) · (518) 435-1770
- LawHelpNY — statewide directory of free legal aid
- Find free legal aid at LawHelp.org
- Eastern District – Court's self-help page
- Northern District – Court's self-help page
- Southern District – Court's self-help page
- Western District – Court's self-help page
Questions about the means test in New York
What is the homestead exemption in New York?
Depends on the county where the home is: $204,825 in Kings, Queens, New York, Bronx, Richmond, Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, Westchester and Putnam counties; $170,700 in Dutchess, Albany, Columbia, Orange, Saratoga and Ulster counties; $102,400 in all other counties. This is equity (value above mortgages and liens) in a house, co-op shares, a condo unit or a mobile home that you own and live in as your main home.
Which bankruptcy court do I use in New York?
You file in the district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the last 180 days. New York has four districts: Eastern (Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Long Island), Southern (Manhattan, the Bronx, Westchester, Rockland and the mid-Hudson Valley), Northern and Western. Columbia, Greene and Ulster counties are served by both the Northern and the Southern District. To find your division, check the court's county list: https://www.nyeb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations (Eastern), https://www.nysb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations (Southern), https://www.nynb.uscourts.gov/northern-district-new-york-counties (Northern), https://www.nywb.uscourts.gov/counties-served (Western).
What are the New York means test numbers?
For cases filed on or after April 1, 2026: 1 person: $73,272; 2 people: $92,902; 3 people: $115,579; 4 people: $139,040; Each extra person: +$11,100.
Is there free bankruptcy help in New York?
New York Southern District Bankruptcy Free Legal Clinic (free 30-minute phone consultation with a volunteer bankruptcy lawyer; for Bronx, Dutchess, New York, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Westchester, Columbia, Ulster and Greene counties), City Bar Justice Center — Homeowner and Consumer Debt Advocacy Project (helps eligible New Yorkers prepare a Chapter 7 case; runs the Bankruptcy Pro Bono Panel) and The Legal Project — Bankruptcy and Credit Program (Albany area; free consultations, representation if you qualify by income; listed by the Northern District court).