The means test in South Dakota: median income

The official median income for South Dakota, a quick first-step check and what happens if your income is above it.

Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026.

Short answer

Official medians for South Dakota from the U.S. Trustee Program. Below the median for your household size means you pass the first step.

1 person
$69,190
2 people
$89,809
3 people
$100,883
4 people
$130,738
Each extra person
+$11,100
Medians apply to cases filed on or after
April 1, 2026

Check the first step in South Dakota

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

  • 1 person$69,190
  • 2 people$89,809
  • 3 people$100,883
  • 4 people$130,738
  • 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

South Dakota bankruptcy courts and divisions

You file in the federal district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the last 180 days. South Dakota has one bankruptcy court for the whole state, with clerk's offices in Sioux Falls and Pierre: https://www.sdb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1408

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Dakota

Divisions: One statewide court; clerk's offices in Sioux Falls and Pierre; hearings held in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Pierre and Aberdeen

Clerk's phone: (605) 357-2400 (Sioux Falls); (605) 945-4460 (Pierre)

Court's self-help page

South Dakota exemptions in brief

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

Home (homestead): no dollar limit on the value of the home itself.

Wildcard (any property): $7,000 in any personal property (goods, money, vehicles and so on) if you are the head of a family; $5,000 if you are not. This is the exemption most people use for a car, bank accounts and household goods.

Exemptions in South Dakota

In nearby states

  • Nebraska: 1 person $66,922 · 2 people $90,728 · 3 people $103,405 · 4 people $125,074
  • North Dakota: 1 person $73,549 · 2 people $96,352 · 3 people $106,686 · 4 people $137,817
  • Minnesota: 1 person $77,696 · 2 people $98,328 · 3 people $126,487 · 4 people $149,882
  • Iowa: 1 person $67,617 · 2 people $88,800 · 3 people $104,133 · 4 people $126,058
  • Wyoming: 1 person $71,745 · 2 people $91,502 · 3 people $98,476 · 4 people $110,297
  • Kansas: 1 person $69,197 · 2 people $87,441 · 3 people $103,852 · 4 people $125,971

What to do now in South Dakota

  1. Gather your income

    Add every source of household income for the last 6 months.

  2. Fill in the first form

    The court uses Official Form 122A-1.

  3. If you are above the median

    You continue with Official Form 122A-2.

  4. File in your court

    The forms are filed with U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Dakota.

Free help in South Dakota

Questions about the means test in South Dakota

How much home equity can I keep in South Dakota?

No dollar limit on the value of the home itself. The limit is by size: up to 1 acre inside a town plat, or up to 160 acres outside a town. If the home is sold (by you or at a forced sale), up to $100,000 of the sale money stays exempt for one year. The same section also says the exemption is limited to $170,000 for the homestead of a person age 70 or older, or that person's unremarried surviving spouse.

How do I find my bankruptcy court in South Dakota?

You file in the federal district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the last 180 days. South Dakota has one bankruptcy court for the whole state, with clerk's offices in Sioux Falls and Pierre: https://www.sdb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations

What is the median income for the means test in South Dakota?

For cases filed on or after April 1, 2026: 1 person: $69,190; 2 people: $89,809; 3 people: $100,883; 4 people: $130,738; Each extra person: +$11,100.

Who helps with bankruptcy for free in South Dakota?

SD Law Help (online application for Access to Justice, Dakota Plains Legal Services and East River Legal Services), Access to Justice, Inc. (State Bar of South Dakota free and reduced-rate program) and Dakota Plains Legal Services.

Related South Dakota pages