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 Ohio, including attorney fees, court costs, and other expenses.
As of June 29, 2026, a bankruptcy in Ohio costs on average $3,500, typically $2,500-$5,000 for a moderate-complexity case, based on sourced attorney-fee and court-cost data. Typical attorney rates run $160 to $300 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 | $2,500 | $3,500 | $5,000 | 3-5 years |
| Complex | $2,700 | $4,500 | $7,200 | 3-5 years |
Last verified: June 2026
$160 – $300/ hour
Median: $230/hr
3-5 years
For moderate complexity cases
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</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 Ohio. The recorded median total is $3,500, with reported quotes clustering between $2,500 and $5,000. Each statutory line below is sized against that median.
Added together the itemised lines come to $363–$413, which leaves roughly $3,087–$3,137 of the Ohio 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 $3,500, the median bankruptcy cost in Ohio is in line with the $3,479 national average across all 50 states and DC.
Ohio carries 3 rows — simple, $1,000–$2,500 at $140–$255/hr over 3-4 months; moderate, $2,500–$5,000 at $160–$300/hr over 3-5 years; complex, $2,700–$7,200 at $185–$370/hr over 3-5 years — on 5 shared citations. They put it below the midpoint of the table without reaching the bottom quarter.
$3,500 is a median, not the middle of the band — $1,000 above the $2,500 floor, $1,500 under the $5,000 ceiling. Every rank below is out of 47.
Ohio occupies the 26th row of 47 for a bankruptcy. Its $3,500 median trails the $3,600 table midpoint by $100, which is 3% — close enough that a single firm's quote can straddle both figures.
Oregon is only $50 above Ohio at $3,550, but the drop to Maine at $3,350 is $150 — the state sits at the bottom edge of its group, with clear air beneath it.
Arizona, Michigan, Oregon record medians within three percent of Ohio's $3,500. A bankruptcy quote anywhere in that group is describing effectively the same market.
On hourly rate alone Ohio is 30th of 47 at $230 an hour, 4 places behind its 26th position on total cost.
| Rank | State | Median | Against Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Alaska | $3,700 | +$200 |
| 21 | Colorado | $3,700 | +$200 |
| 22 | Delaware | $3,650 | +$150 |
| 23 | Arizona | $3,600 | +$100 |
| 24 | Michigan | $3,600 | +$100 |
| 25 | Oregon | $3,550 | +$50 |
| 26 | Ohio | $3,500 | — |
| 27 | Maine | $3,350 | −$150 |
| 28 | Utah | $3,350 | −$150 |
| 29 | Missouri | $3,300 | −$200 |
| 30 | Idaho | $3,200 | −$300 |
| 31 | Florida | $3,150 | −$350 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $3,150 | −$350 |
Within ten percent of the Ohio figure there are 10 states above and only 6 below. $50 up or $150 down moves Ohio a row, which means the ranking has far more room to improve than to slip: the bankruptcy field is dense overhead and sparse underneath.
Climbing five places would mean passing Colorado, Delaware, Arizona, Michigan, Oregon and adding $200 to the $3,500 recorded here.
Five places down means passing under Maine, Utah, Missouri, Idaho, Florida: $350.
$900 short of Hawaii ($4,400), $1,150 clear of Kentucky ($2,350).
At $230 an hour, the $3,500 median represents about 15 hours of attorney time — a matter measured in days of work, not weeks. The peer median is 14 hours, so 1 more hours of work sit behind the Ohio figure than behind the typical state's.
The escalation is comparatively shallow on hours. A complex bankruptcy costs 3x a simple one in Ohio, but the implied workload only rises 2x — 8 hours at $185 becomes 16 hours at $280 — meaning the senior-rate premium of 1.51x carries an unusually large share of the increase.
From $2,500 to $5,000 the moderate band is $2,500 wide, close to the $2,550 peer median. End to end that is 11 hours at $230.
A third ordering: by implied hours Ohio is 4th of 47 at 15 hours, 22 places above its cost rank of 26th on cost — more work behind the same bankruptcy money.
44% up the $2,500–$5,000 band sits the $3,600 table midpoint, buying 16 hours at $230 against the 15 the local bankruptcy median implies — 1 hour apart.
| Measure | Ohio | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate median | $3,500 | 26th |
| Hourly median | $230 | 30th |
| Implied hours | 15 | 4th |
| Simple median | $1,500 | 25th |
| Complex median | $4,500 | 33rd |
$230 an hour puts Ohio between Georgia ($240) and Wyoming ($230) — not the bankruptcy cost pairing.
Wyoming records the same $230: rate cannot separate them, totals do.
$3,500 buys 19 hours at $185, 15 at $230, 13 at $280.
| Rank | State | Median rate |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | Florida | $240 |
| 29 | Georgia | $240 |
| 30 | Ohio | $230 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $230 |
| 32 | Idaho | $220 |
Ranked tier by tier, Ohio slides 8 places downward: 25th at the simple tier, 26th at moderate, 33rd at complex. Its headline moderate position sits between the two extremes rather than summarising them.
$1,500 is 25th of 47 on a straightforward bankruptcy, under Nevada ($1,500) and over Texas ($1,500), $0 over the $1,500 tier midpoint.
$4,500 is 33rd of 47 once contested, between North Carolina ($4,500) and West Virginia ($4,450), $600 off the $5,100 tier midpoint.
The three bands are continuous in Ohio: the simple tier reaches $2,500 where the moderate tier starts at $2,500, and the moderate tier reaches $5,000 where the complex tier starts at $2,700. A single quoted figure can therefore belong to two different tiers, and the tier label — not the number — is what identifies which.
| Tier | Ohio | Rank | Tier midpoint | Implied hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| simple | $1,500 | 25th | $1,500 | 8 |
| moderate | $3,500 | 26th | $3,600 | 15 |
| complex | $4,500 | 33rd | $5,100 | 16 |
$1,500 puts Ohio 25th of 47 on straightforward matters, 1 up on its moderate position, and $0 (0%) over the $1,500 tier midpoint.
8 implied hours at $185: 53% of the moderate tier's 15, over 3-4 months.
Nevada ($1,500) and Texas ($1,500) bracket it — a $0 window.
4 states record a simple-tier median within three percent of $1,500, denser than the 3 around the moderate row.
$4,500 drops Ohio to 33rd of 47 on contested matters, 7 below its moderate position and $600 (12%) under the $5,100 tier midpoint.
16 implied hours at $280: 107% of the moderate tier's 15, over 3-5 years.
North Carolina ($4,500) and West Virginia ($4,450) bracket it — a $50 window.
4 states record a complex-tier median within three percent of $4,500, denser than the 3 around the moderate row.
| Rank | State | Median |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Maine | $1,500 |
| 24 | Nevada | $1,500 |
| 25 | Ohio | $1,500 |
| 26 | Texas | $1,500 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $1,500 |
| Rank | State | Median |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Missouri | $4,500 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $4,500 |
| 33 | Ohio | $4,500 |
| 34 | West Virginia | $4,450 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $4,350 |
In Ohio a bankruptcy is 6th of 8 at $3,500, between Immigration and Estate Planning / Probate. At 39% of Criminal Defense ($9,050).
Across practice areas Ohio ranges from 25th of 47 for Estate Planning / Probate to 35th for Real Estate Closing — a 10-place spread, with its 26th on bankruptcy inside it.
Ohio is not equally priced in every practice area. Measured against each matter's own midpoint, Estate Planning / Probate runs 1% below its own midpoint while Real Estate Closing runs 15% below its own midpoint — a 14-point spread between the extremes.
The largest tracked median in Ohio is 4.8x the smallest, effectively the 5.1x that the typical state records: the internal spread is ordinary even where the levels are not.
0 of 7 matter types rank Ohio in the upper third, 1 in the lower, 6 between; bankruptcy is 26th.
In percentile terms it sits at the 46th percentile of the 47 tracked states.
| Matter | Simple | Moderate | Complex | Hours | Rank | vs mid | Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal Defense | $3,200 | $9,050 | $25,500 | 32 | 32nd | −11% | Florida |
| Divorce | $2,850 | $8,000 | $19,100 | 29 | 32nd | −6% | Florida |
| DUI / DWI | $3,300 | $6,850 | $16,700 | 27 | 33rd | −8% | Idaho |
| Personal Injury | $1,400 | $4,700 | $13,450 | — | — | −10% | — |
| Immigration | $1,850 | $4,400 | $9,900 | 17 | 31st | −7% | Missouri |
| Bankruptcy | $1,500 | $3,500 | $4,500 | 15 | 26th | −3% | Oregon |
| Estate Planning / Probate | $550 | $2,050 | $5,800 | 8 | 25th | −1% | Georgia |
| Real Estate Closing | $900 | $1,900 | $3,800 | 8 | 35th | −15% | Mississippi |
Simple tier. $1,500 ÷ $185 = about 8 hours, spread over 3-4 months at roughly $429 a month. The $2,000 step to the moderate tier is 7 more hours at that rate.
Work against price. $3,500 to $4,500 is a $1,000 step weighted toward price: 1 more hours at $230 is $230, but $280 across 16 hours adds $800 — 78% of it.
Borrowing the wrong row. Budgeting from Maine ($3,350) lands $150 under Ohio; from Oregon ($3,550), $50 over; from the $3,600 table midpoint, $100 out.
Contested against simple. At Ohio's own recorded figures, $4,500 buys 3 matters at the $1,500 simple median — or, counted in time, 16 implied hours against 8, a factor of 2 — the two ratios differing because the rate rises with the tier.
Verified June 2026. Filing fees change on the Ohiocourt'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.