To file Chapter 7 in Ohio, the Ohio bankruptcy means test compares your household income to the state median. A single filer whose annualized six-month income falls below $66,239 passes immediately; a household of four passes below $123,702. Earn more than the threshold for your household size and you move to a second step: a detailed expense calculation that decides whether you have enough disposable income left over to repay a meaningful share of your debts.
The 2026 Ohio Median Income Thresholds
For cases filed on or after April 1, 2026, the Ohio medians used by the means test are:1United States Department of Justice. Census Bureau Median Family Income By Family Size
- One person: $66,239
- Two people: $83,725
- Three people: $102,504
- Four people: $123,702
- Each additional person beyond four: add $11,100
Household size generally includes everyone who lives with you and depends on your income, plus dependents living elsewhere whom you support. Get the household count right, because it decides which line applies to you.
How Your Income Is Calculated
The bankruptcy code uses a figure called “current monthly income,” and the name is misleading. It is not what you earned last month. It is the average gross income you received over the six full calendar months before the month you file. File on August 15 and the window runs from February 1 through July 31.2United States Courts. Chapter 7 Statement of Your Current Monthly Income Multiply the monthly average by 12 and you have the annualized number that gets compared to the Ohio median.
The definition of income sweeps in almost everything: wages, self-employment profits, interest, dividends, rental income, unemployment benefits, pensions, and even regular cash contributions from a relative or partner who helps pay your household bills.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 101 Definitions Child support and alimony you receive count as income too, though what you pay out is deductible on the expense side.
Two categories are excluded. Social Security benefits (retirement, disability, survivor) are left out entirely, so filers whose only income is Social Security automatically fall below any median.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 101 Definitions Certain military disability payments, combat-related compensation, and payments to victims of terrorism or war crimes are also excluded. Omitting a source that should be counted can get your case dismissed, so err on the side of listing income and letting the exclusion rules do their work.
Who Doesn’t Have to Take the Test
Three groups of filers skip the means test regardless of what they earn.
The largest group is people whose debts are primarily non-consumer. If more than half your total debt by dollar amount came from operating a business rather than from personal credit cards, medical bills, or a home mortgage, the means test doesn’t apply.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 707 Dismissal of a Case or Conversion
Disabled veterans are exempt if they have a VA disability rating of at least 30 percent, or were discharged for a service-connected disability, and the debt was incurred primarily during active duty or homeland defense activity.
Reservists and National Guard members called to active duty for at least 90 days after September 11, 2001 get a temporary exemption that runs for the duration of their service plus 540 days after release. Filers claiming any of these exemptions submit Form 122A-1Supp instead of the full means test.5United States Department of Justice. Means Testing
If Your Income Is Over the Ohio Median
Being above the median doesn’t disqualify you. It moves you to Form 122A-2, which subtracts allowable monthly expenses from your income to figure out how much you could realistically pay creditors.5United States Department of Justice. Means Testing Most of these expenses aren’t your actual spending. They’re standardized amounts set by the IRS.
IRS National Standards
Food, clothing, personal care, and housekeeping supplies use fixed national amounts by household size. Through June 2026 the monthly totals are $839 for one person, $1,481 for two, $1,753 for three, $2,129 for four, and an additional $394 for each person beyond four.6Internal Revenue Service. National Standards Food Clothing and Other Items A separate out-of-pocket healthcare allowance from the same IRS standards is added on top.7United States Courts. Official Form 122A-2 Chapter 7 Means Test Calculation The form also allows up to a 5 percent additional food and clothing allowance when it is reasonable and necessary.
IRS Local Standards
Housing, utilities, and transportation use county-specific figures. A filer in Cuyahoga County gets a different housing allowance than one in a rural Appalachian county. Transportation includes separate allowances for ownership and operating costs, and different amounts apply depending on whether you own or lease.
Actual Expenses You Can Deduct
On top of the standardized figures, you can deduct actual amounts for mandatory payroll withholdings, health and disability insurance premiums, court-ordered payments such as child support, childcare needed for employment, and care for elderly or disabled family members. If you are behind on secured debts like a mortgage or car loan, catch-up payments on the arrears are also deductible.
The Presumption of Abuse
After deductions, the form gives you a monthly disposable income figure. Multiply by 60 (five years of hypothetical payments). Abuse is presumed if that five-year total equals or exceeds the lesser of:
- 25 percent of your nonpriority unsecured debt, or $10,275, whichever is greater
- $17,150
That creates three zones.8United States Courts. Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Basics Below $10,275 over five years (about $171 a month) you pass. Above $17,150 (about $286 a month) you fail. In between, the outcome turns on whether the figure hits 25 percent of your unsecured debt. Most filers land clearly on one side or the other.
Rebutting the Presumption
Failing the calculation isn’t the end. You can rebut the presumption by documenting “special circumstances” that make the standardized numbers wrong for your situation. The statute names serious medical conditions and a call to active military duty as examples, but courts can consider other situations that don’t fit the IRS categories.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 707 Dismissal of a Case or Conversion
The requirements are strict. You have to itemize each expense or income adjustment, provide supporting documentation, and file a detailed written explanation of why the expense is necessary and has no reasonable alternative. Everything is signed under oath. The rebuttal only works if your adjusted numbers drop your five-year disposable income back below the abuse thresholds. Courts want medical records, deployment orders, or receipts, not general hardship arguments.
If You Don’t Pass
If the presumption stands and you can’t rebut it, the U.S. Trustee can file a motion to dismiss your Chapter 7 case, and the court can dismiss it or, with your consent, convert it to Chapter 11 or Chapter 13. The practical choice for most filers is voluntary dismissal or conversion to Chapter 13.
Chapter 13 doesn’t use the means test as a pass/fail gate, but your income still matters. Instead of discharging debts, Chapter 13 puts you on a court-supervised repayment plan. Below Ohio’s median for your household size, the minimum plan is three years. At or above the median, the plan runs at least five years.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 1325 Confirmation of Plan Monthly payments are based on disposable income calculated on separate Chapter 13 forms. The tradeoff: years of payments, but you keep property that Chapter 7 might liquidate, and you get protection against foreclosure.
Documents and Filing in Ohio
Accurate paperwork is what keeps a case alive. Before starting Form 122A-1, gather pay stubs covering the six full months before filing (you must also file copies of all pay stubs received within 60 days before your petition), your most recent federal tax return, bank statements, and records of any rental income, unemployment benefits, pensions, or regular support from others. You must give the trustee your most recent federal tax return at least seven days before the first meeting of creditors, and failing to produce requested tax documents is grounds for dismissal.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 US Code 521 – Debtors Duties The means test forms are available on the U.S. Courts website.11United States Courts. Means Test Forms
Ohio has two federal bankruptcy courts, the Northern District and the Southern District, and you file in whichever covers your county of residence. The Chapter 7 filing fee is $338. Form 103A lets you pay it in up to four installments; Form 103B lets you request a full waiver if your income is below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.12United States Courts. Application to Have the Chapter 7 Filing Fee Waived
Separately from the means test, you must complete a credit counseling briefing from an approved nonprofit agency within 180 days before your filing date. It can be done by phone or online and typically takes about an hour. Narrow exceptions exist for people who are incapacitated, disabled, or serving in a combat zone.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 109 Who May Be a Debtor Once your petition and means test forms are on file, the U.S. Trustee’s office reviews them and can request more documents or file a motion alleging abuse if the numbers don’t hold up.