This tool provides general cost estimates for informational purposes only. It is NOT legal advice. Costs vary significantly based on individual circumstances. Consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for specific guidance.
2026 cost estimates for bankruptcy in Maine, including attorney fees, court costs, and other expenses.
As of June 29, 2026, a bankruptcy in Maine costs on average $3,350, typically $2,400-$4,800 for a moderate-complexity case, based on sourced attorney-fee and court-cost data. Typical attorney rates run $175 to $320 per hour. A moderate-complexity case typically takes 3-5 years to resolve. Common related costs include chapter 13 filing fee ($313) and credit counseling course ($25-$50).
Data verified: June 29, 2026
| Complexity | Low | Median | High | Typical Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | $1,000 | $1,500 | $2,500 | 3-4 months |
| Moderate | $2,400 | $3,350 | $4,800 | 3-5 years |
| Complex | $3,000 | $4,950 | $7,900 | 3-5 years |
Last verified: June 2026
$175 – $320/ hour
Median: $250/hr
3-5 years
For moderate complexity cases
New to how attorney fees work? Read the legal fees guide — hourly, flat, and contingency billing explained.
Researching costs in another area? These free tools from our network may help.
Add this calculator to your own site with a copy-paste snippet — includes an attribution link back to this page.
<iframe
id="legalcostcalc-embed"
src="https://legalcostcalc.co/embed/maine/bankruptcy-cost"
title="Maine Bankruptcy Cost Calculator"
width="100%"
height="720"
style="border:1px solid #e2e8f0;border-radius:8px;max-width:768px;"
loading="lazy"
></iframe>
<p style="font-size:12px;text-align:center;">
<a href="https://legalcostcalc.co/maine/bankruptcy-cost?utm_source=embed&utm_medium=widget&utm_campaign=embed_snippet" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow ugc">
Powered by LegalCostCalc
</a>
</p>
<script>
window.addEventListener("message", function (event) {
if (!event.data || event.data.type !== "legalcostcalc:embed-resize") return;
var frame = document.getElementById("legalcostcalc-embed");
if (frame && typeof event.data.height === "number") {
frame.style.height = event.data.height + "px";
}
});
</script>Bankruptcy cost formation splits along the two most common filing types. Chapter 7 (liquidation) is a shorter federal process, so attorney fees are usually charged as a flat fee covering the whole case. Chapter 13 (repayment plan) requires the attorney to stay involved for the full 3-5 year repayment period, so the fee is higher and is often split into an upfront portion plus ongoing amounts paid through the repayment plan itself.
On top of the attorney fee, every filer pays a federal court filing fee (set by statute, the same nationwide regardless of state) plus mandatory credit counseling and debtor education course fees. Case complexity within either chapter — multiple creditors, contested exemptions, business assets, or a means-test dispute — adds attorney hours beyond the base flat fee, which is why complex-case costs run well above the simple-case median shown on this page.
Take a moderate-complexity bankruptcy matter in Maine. The recorded median total is $3,350, with reported quotes clustering between $2,400 and $4,800. Each statutory line below is sized against that median.
Added together the itemised lines come to $363–$413, which leaves roughly $2,937–$2,987 of the Maine median as professional time — the part that differs between quotes. One further recorded fee is not itemised above and is not in that total.
At $3,350, the median bankruptcy cost in Maine runs 4% below the $3,479 national average across all 50 states and DC.
Maine carries 3 rows — simple, $1,000–$2,500 at $150–$270/hr over 3-4 months; moderate, $2,400–$4,800 at $175–$320/hr over 3-5 years; complex, $3,000–$7,900 at $200–$395/hr over 3-5 years — on 5 shared citations. They put it below the midpoint of the table without reaching the bottom quarter.
$3,350 is a median, not the middle of the band — $950 above the $2,400 floor, $1,450 under the $4,800 ceiling. Every rank below is out of 47.
Maine occupies the 27th row of 47 for a bankruptcy. Its $3,350 median trails the $3,600 table midpoint by $250, which is 7% — close enough that a single firm's quote can straddle both figures.
Utah is the nearest state below at $3,350 — $0 away — while the next state up, Ohio, is a wider $150 step at $3,500. Maine therefore sits at the top edge of a band rather than in the middle of one.
Utah, Missouri record medians within three percent of Maine's $3,350. A bankruptcy quote anywhere in that group is describing effectively the same market.
The two measures nearly agree: 25th of 47 on hourly rate at $250 an hour, 27th on total cost, 2 places apart.
| Rank | State | Median | Against Maine |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Colorado | $3,700 | +$350 |
| 22 | Delaware | $3,650 | +$300 |
| 23 | Arizona | $3,600 | +$250 |
| 24 | Michigan | $3,600 | +$250 |
| 25 | Oregon | $3,550 | +$200 |
| 26 | Ohio | $3,500 | +$150 |
| 27 | Maine | $3,350 | — |
| 28 | Utah | $3,350 | −$0 |
| 29 | Missouri | $3,300 | −$50 |
| 30 | Idaho | $3,200 | −$150 |
| 31 | Florida | $3,150 | −$200 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $3,150 | −$200 |
| 33 | Georgia | $3,100 | −$250 |
The rows within ten percent are lopsided: 8 below Maine against 5 above. $150 up or $0 down moves Maine a row, so a downward revision would cost the state far more places than an equivalent upward one would gain — the 27th position is propped up by a thin bankruptcy field above it and a crowded one beneath.
Climbing five places would mean passing Delaware, Arizona, Michigan, Oregon, Ohio and adding $300 to the $3,350 recorded here.
Five places down means passing under Utah, Missouri, Idaho, Florida, North Carolina: $200.
$1,050 short of Hawaii ($4,400), $1,000 clear of Kentucky ($2,350).
At $250 an hour, the $3,350 median represents about 13 hours of attorney time — a matter measured in days of work, not weeks. The peer median is 14 hours: Maine reaches its total in 1 fewer implied hours, because the rate rather than the workload carries more of it.
The escalation is comparatively shallow on hours. A complex bankruptcy costs 3.3x a simple one in Maine, but the implied workload only rises 2.1x — 8 hours at $200 becomes 17 hours at $295 — meaning the senior-rate premium of 1.48x carries an unusually large share of the increase.
From $2,400 to $4,800 the moderate band is $2,400 wide, close to the $2,550 peer median. End to end that is 10 hours at $250.
By implied hours Maine falls to 32nd of 47 at 13 hours, 5 places below its 27th on cost — the bankruptcy total arriving on less recorded work.
50% up the $2,400–$4,800 band sits the $3,600 table midpoint, buying 14 hours at $250 against the 13 the local bankruptcy median implies — 1 hour apart.
| Measure | Maine | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate median | $3,350 | 27th |
| Hourly median | $250 | 25th |
| Implied hours | 13 | 32nd |
| Simple median | $1,500 | 23rd |
| Complex median | $4,950 | 25th |
$250 an hour puts Maine between Wisconsin ($255) and Michigan ($250) — not the bankruptcy cost pairing.
Michigan, Nevada record the same $250: rate cannot separate them, totals do.
$3,350 buys 17 hours at $200, 13 at $250, 11 at $295.
| Rank | State | Median rate |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Arizona | $255 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $255 |
| 25 | Maine | $250 |
| 26 | Michigan | $250 |
| 27 | Nevada | $250 |
The ranking barely moves across tiers — 23rd at the simple tier, 27th at moderate, 25th at complex of 47 — so Maine keeps roughly the same relative position whether the bankruptcy is straightforward or contested.
$1,500 is 23rd of 47 on a straightforward bankruptcy, under Virginia ($1,550) and over Nevada ($1,500), $0 over the $1,500 tier midpoint.
$4,950 is 25th of 47 once contested, between Florida ($5,100) and Michigan ($4,850), $150 off the $5,100 tier midpoint.
The three bands are continuous in Maine: the simple tier reaches $2,500 where the moderate tier starts at $2,400, and the moderate tier reaches $4,800 where the complex tier starts at $3,000. A single quoted figure can therefore belong to two different tiers, and the tier label — not the number — is what identifies which.
| Tier | Maine | Rank | Tier midpoint | Implied hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| simple | $1,500 | 23rd | $1,500 | 8 |
| moderate | $3,350 | 27th | $3,600 | 13 |
| complex | $4,950 | 25th | $5,100 | 17 |
$1,500 puts Maine 23rd of 47 on straightforward matters, 4 up on its moderate position, and $0 (0%) over the $1,500 tier midpoint.
8 implied hours at $200: 62% of the moderate tier's 13, over 3-4 months.
Virginia ($1,550) and Nevada ($1,500) bracket it — a $50 window.
4 states record a simple-tier median within three percent of $1,500, denser than the 2 around the moderate row.
$4,950 puts Maine 25th of 47 on contested matters, 2 up on its moderate position, and $150 (3%) under the $5,100 tier midpoint.
17 implied hours at $295: 131% of the moderate tier's 13, over 3-5 years.
Florida ($5,100) and Michigan ($4,850) bracket it — a $250 window.
1 states sit within three percent of the $4,950 here, against 2 at the moderate row.
| Rank | State | Median |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Minnesota | $1,550 |
| 22 | Virginia | $1,550 |
| 23 | Maine | $1,500 |
| 24 | Nevada | $1,500 |
| 25 | Ohio | $1,500 |
| Rank | State | Median |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Oregon | $5,150 |
| 24 | Florida | $5,100 |
| 25 | Maine | $4,950 |
| 26 | Michigan | $4,850 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $4,800 |
In Maine a bankruptcy is 6th of 8 at $3,350, between Immigration and Estate Planning / Probate. At 31% of Criminal Defense ($10,850).
Across practice areas Maine ranges from 17th of 47 for Criminal Defense to 28th for DUI / DWI — a 11-place spread, with its 27th on bankruptcy inside it.
Maine is not equally priced in every practice area. Measured against each matter's own midpoint, Immigration runs 12% above its own midpoint while Real Estate Closing runs 8% below its own midpoint — a 20-point spread between the extremes.
The largest tracked median in Maine is 5.3x the smallest, effectively the 5.1x that the typical state records: the internal spread is ordinary even where the levels are not.
1 of 6 matter types rank Maine in the upper third, 0 in the lower, 5 between; bankruptcy is 27th.
In percentile terms it sits at the 43th percentile of the 47 tracked states.
| Matter | Simple | Moderate | Complex | Hours | Rank | vs mid | Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal Defense | $3,350 | $10,850 | $29,900 | 37 | 17th | +6% | Texas |
| Divorce | $3,150 | $9,400 | $22,850 | 32 | 20th | +10% | Utah |
| DUI / DWI | $3,650 | $7,200 | $15,950 | 27 | 28th | −3% | Wyoming |
| Personal Injury | $1,600 | $5,350 | $15,850 | — | — | +3% | — |
| Immigration | $2,050 | $5,300 | $11,750 | 20 | 19th | +12% | Nevada |
| Bankruptcy | $1,500 | $3,350 | $4,950 | 13 | 27th | −7% | Ohio |
| Estate Planning / Probate | $650 | $2,150 | $5,900 | 8 | 18th | +4% | Delaware |
| Real Estate Closing | $900 | $2,050 | $4,550 | 8 | — | −8% | — |
Simple tier. $1,500 ÷ $200 = about 8 hours, spread over 3-4 months at roughly $429 a month. The $1,850 step to the moderate tier is 5 more hours at that rate.
Work against price. $3,350 to $4,950 is a $1,600 step weighted toward price: 4 more hours at $250 is $1,000, but $295 across 17 hours adds $765 — 43% of it.
Borrowing the wrong row. Budgeting from Utah ($3,350) lands $0 under Maine; from Ohio ($3,500), $150 over; from the $3,600 table midpoint, $250 out.
Contested against simple. At Maine's own recorded figures, $4,950 buys 3.3 matters at the $1,500 simple median — or, counted in time, 17 implied hours against 8, a factor of 2.1 — the two ratios differing because the rate rises with the tier.
Verified June 2026. Filing fees change on the Mainecourt's own schedule; billing models are covered in the legal fees guide.
This tool provides general cost estimates for informational purposes only. It is NOT legal advice. Costs vary significantly based on individual circumstances. Consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for specific guidance.