Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Payment Calculator

If you're researching Chapter 13, you've probably gone looking for a calculator. You want a number—something concrete—before you talk to an attorney or make any decisions. That makes sense. A calculator can give you a rough starting point. But the payment you'll propose is based on your specific financial picture, and the court gets the final say.

There's no single formula because your plan payment is determined by whichever of three calculations produces the highest amount. Think of them as three separate floors, and your payment has to clear all three. The sections below explain each one in plain English.

Understanding how the math works puts you in a much better position for an attorney consultation. You'll know which numbers matter, which questions to ask, and what to expect.

How Chapter 13 plan payments are determined

In Chapter 13, you propose a repayment plan. You put together the numbers and your attorney files it with the court. The trustee—a court-appointed administrator—reviews it. The court then confirms the plan, rejects it, or asks for adjustments.

Once confirmed, you make one monthly payment to the trustee. The trustee handles distributing the money to your creditors. You don't deal with creditors directly.

Your monthly payment is the highest of three amounts:

1. The total of debts you must pay in full, divided by the length of your plan
2. Your disposable income—what's left after allowed living expenses
3. What creditors would receive if your assets were sold off in a Chapter 7 case

How long your plan runs depends on your income. If your income is below your state's median, your plan is generally 36 months. Above the median, it's usually 60 months. That matters because the same total spread over fewer months means a higher monthly payment.

One more piece: the trustee takes a fee out of each payment before distributing the rest to creditors. That fee is capped at 10% by federal law, but the actual percentage varies by district. Your attorney can tell you the rate where you file.

Priority and secured debts that must be paid in full

Some debts can't be reduced or stretched out. They have to be paid in full through your plan, no matter what. These set the floor of every Chapter 13 payment.

Past-due child support and alimony. Recently owed taxes. Criminal restitution. These are called priority debts, and they come first. If you owe them, they go into your plan at full value.

Behind on your mortgage? If you want to keep your home, the arrears must be paid through the plan. Arrears are the missed payments—not the full mortgage balance.

For car loans, the age of the loan matters. If it's older than 910 days when you file, the judge may modify the loan terms—commonly reducing the balance to what the car is currently worth. If it's newer than 910 days, you generally have to pay the full balance. You'll find the technical term for this in Key Terms below.

Add up your priority debts and secured arrears. Add the trustee's fee. Divide by your plan length. That's your minimum monthly payment.

A rough example: say you owe $8,000 in mortgage arrears and $3,000 in back taxes—$11,000 total. Divide by 60 months and your creditors need to receive about $183 per month. The trustee takes a fee out of each payment before passing the rest along, so your actual out-of-pocket payment is a bit higher—around $204 per month if the fee is 10%. That's the floor. The other two factors could push it higher.

How disposable income affects your Chapter 13 payment

Here's where it gets personal. The court doesn't just look at what you owe—it looks at what you earn and what you're allowed to spend.

Disposable income is what's left of your monthly income after subtracting your allowed living expenses. Whatever's left has to go toward your plan.

Income sources that count: wages, self-employment earnings, Social Security, pensions, rental income, and regular contributions from others in the household.

The "allowed expenses" part is important. The court doesn't use what you actually spend. It uses IRS guidelines called National and Local Standards. These are fixed amounts for food, clothing, housing, and transportation—based on your household size and location.

If your income is above your state's median, you use the IRS standards to calculate expenses. That's done through an official form called 122C-2. If you're below the median, you can use your actual monthly expenses instead.

To find your state's median income, go to justice.gov/ust and look under "Means Testing Information."

Whatever's left after allowed expenses—your disposable income—goes to unsecured creditors for the full length of the plan. If that amount is higher than your Factor 1 minimum, it sets your payment.

Continuing the example: say Maria earns $4,200 per month after taxes. The IRS allowed expenses for her household size and location come to $3,600. Her disposable income is $600 per month. That's higher than the $204 floor from Factor 1, so $600 becomes her new ceiling—that's the most the plan can require her to pay. The trustee's fee comes out of that $600, not on top of it. 

One important thing: the payment isn't locked in for the life of the plan. You're required to submit a copy of your annual tax return to the trustee each year you're in the plan. If your income goes up, the trustee could ask the court to increase your payment. It's not automatic—it takes a motion and court approval—but it's a real possibility worth planning for.

How nonexempt property affects what you owe

This is the factor most people don't see coming.

Your unsecured creditors must receive at least as much through your plan as they'd have gotten in a Chapter 7 liquidation. That includes credit card companies, medical providers, and similar creditors.

If you own property that bankruptcy law doesn't protect, its value has to be reflected in what creditors receive.

Bankruptcy law does protect certain amounts. As of April 1, 2025 (valid through March 31, 2028), the federal exemption amounts are:

• Home equity: up to $31,575
• One vehicle: up to $5,025
• Household goods: up to $16,850 total, with no single item valued at more than $800

These are federal figures. They apply in states that allow the use of federal bankruptcy exemptions. Your state may have its own limits—sometimes higher, sometimes lower. A bankruptcy attorney can tell you which set applies where you live.

If unprotected property's value exceeds what Factors 1 and 2 require, it becomes your new payment floor.

Back to the example: Maria has a car worth $9,000, with a $3,000 loan balance. Her equity is $6,000. The federal vehicle exemption protects $5,025 of that. The remaining $975 is unprotected—creditors are entitled to at least that amount through her plan. In Maria's case, it doesn't push her payment above $600 per month, so Factor 2 still holds.

Most filers with limited assets won't be moved by this factor. But knowing it exists before you walk into an attorney's office matters.

What a Chapter 13 payment calculator can (and can't) tell you

A calculator can estimate Factor 1—your minimum payment based on priority and secured debts divided by plan length, with the trustee's fee already built in. That's useful as a starting point. 

What it can't do is account for your disposable income, state exemptions, or how your district's trustee operates. It also won't factor in interest on secured claims or any plan modifications that come later.

The most detailed free calculator available is on AllLaw.com (run by Nolo). It walks you through the actual inputs—mortgage arrears, car loan balance, priority debts, plan length. But it requires knowing your exact figures, and some of the terminology assumes legal familiarity.

No online calculator gives you a final number. Too many variables depend on your specific district, your judge, and the particulars of your debts.

The most reliable estimate comes from a bankruptcy attorney who runs your actual numbers through the court forms. Many offer free initial consultations.

For a full overview of Chapter 13—eligibility, filing, and what happens after confirmation—see our Chapter 13 bankruptcy guide.

Bills Action Plan

1. Look up your state's median income at justice.gov/ust. It tells you whether your plan would be 36 or 60 months—which directly affects what you pay each month.
2. List your priority debts (back taxes, past-due child support) and secured debt past due amounts (mortgage, car arrearages)—these are the non-negotiable floor of your payment.
3. Add up your monthly income from all sources. Compare it to IRS allowed expenses for your household size at irs.gov. The gap between those two numbers is your disposable income.
4. Take these figures to a free consultation with a bankruptcy attorney for an accurate plan payment estimate before making any decisions.

Key Terms

Disposable income: In Chapter 13, the income left after subtracting your allowed monthly living expenses. It determines how much goes toward unsecured debts like credit cards and medical bills.

Priority debt: A debt the law treats as too important to reduce or skip. Examples include past-due child support, alimony, and recently owed taxes. These must be paid in full through your plan.

Secured debt: A debt tied to a specific piece of property, like a mortgage or car loan. If you stop paying, the lender can take that property.

Unsecured debt: A debt with no property attached, such as credit card balances or medical bills. These are paid last in a Chapter 13 plan, after priority and secured debts are covered.

Trustee: A court-appointed person who collects your monthly plan payment and distributes it to creditors. The trustee also reviews your financial information and monitors your case throughout the plan.

Plan confirmation: The court hearing where a judge approves your proposed repayment plan. Until the plan is confirmed, it isn't binding on creditors.

Cramdown: A court order that modifies the terms of a secured loan. Commonly used to reduce the loan balance to the fair market value of the collateral when the balance exceeds what the property is worth. Generally available for car loans older than 910 days at the time of filing.

Nonexempt property: Property that bankruptcy law doesn't protect from creditors. If you have nonexempt assets, their value may affect how much unsecured creditors must receive through your plan.

IRS National and Local Standards: Expense guidelines published by the IRS that courts use to calculate allowed living expenses for above-median income filers. Used in Official Form 122C-2.

This article is for general education. We can't advise you on whether to file for bankruptcy protection or which chapter is right for you. Consult a bankruptcy attorney for advice specific to your situation.