The cost of a filing for bankruptcy in Washington State depends on what type of bankruptcy you are filing, the complexity of your case, and other factors, such as whether you are hiring an attorney. While it is possible to file for bankruptcy without a lawyer, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court generally advises that individuals should seek the advice of a qualified bankruptcy attorney given the complex financial and legal issues involved in bankruptcy cases. Without such advice, irreversible damaging results can occur as once a case is filed it is often too late to fix agonizing painful results. nnThere are three basic categories of expenses in the bankruptcy process:nnFiling fees, which are what you pay the court in order to file a bankruptcy petition;nAttorneys’ fees, which are paid to your bankruptcy lawyer for the work that they do; andnMiscellaneous expenses, such as the cost of pulling a credit report and taking a credit counseling class.nnFor Chapter 7 bankruptcies, the court filing fee is $338. This type of bankruptcy - known as a liquidation bankruptcy - is typically simpler than a Chapter 13. The filing fee for a Chapter 13 is $313.nnMany bankruptcy attorneys charge a flat fee for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy but the contracts will include charges for work not normally required in most cases. On average, the initial fee for a Chapter 7 in Washington State is $1,500. Depending on your specific situation and the lawyer that you choose, this fee may be higher or lower. Some bankruptcy attorneys may offer an hourly rate for additional services above and beyond the basic filing.nnChapter 13 bankruptcies are more complex than Chapter 7. Unlike Chapter 7, where your credit card debt and other debts can be discharged, a Chapter 13 requires you to set up a payment plan to pay off all or part of your debt over a period of 3 to 5 years. In addition to a bankruptcy petition, you will need to file a schedule of assets and liabilities, a schedule of current income and expenditures, a schedule of executory contracts and unexpired leases, a statement of financial affairs, and often the very complex “means test”. nnChapter 13 bankruptcies require more work, but they allow you to protect much of your personal property. For this reason, attorneys’ fees are typically higher for this type of bankruptcy as substantial more services are required. nnIn Washington State, there is a presumptive or “no look” fee of $4,000 in Chapter 13 cases. This means that your attorney can seek up to $4,000 in fees without approval from the bankruptcy judge. If your legal fees are higher than this no look threshold, then the bankruptcy court will have to approve it.nnFor both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases, you will have to pay for debtor education through a nonprofit credit counseling organization. This typically costs $30 or more with most attorneys. (The Law Offices of Richard D. Granvold know how to pay merely $9.76 for a single person and $14.95 for a couple). In addition, you may need to pay for your attorney to pull a credit report for each party that is filing for bankruptcy but you can obtain all 3 credit reports yearly for free.