Upsolve Review: File Bankruptcy for Free?

Upsolve is a nonprofit that lets eligible low-income filers complete a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition for free, without a lawyer. It has helped hundreds of thousands of people file since launching, but it is not the right fit for everyone. Here’s what it actually does, who qualifies, and where its limits are.

What Upsolve actually is

Upsolve is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, not a law firm, and it does not provide legal advice. Its web app walks you through the same information a bankruptcy attorney would gather — assets, debts, income, expenses, and recent financial transactions — and uses your answers to auto-populate the official federal bankruptcy forms (the Chapter 7 petition and schedules). You then file those completed forms yourself with your local bankruptcy court, either electronically or in person, and Upsolve provides instructions for that filing step specific to your district.

Who qualifies

Upsolve is built specifically for Chapter 7, the faster “liquidation” bankruptcy that discharges most unsecured debt in a few months. To use it, your household income generally needs to fall under your state’s median income for your household size, since that’s also the baseline eligibility line for Chapter 7 under the bankruptcy means test. Upsolve’s intake screens for this early. It also works best for people with straightforward finances — mostly consumer debt like credit cards, medical bills, and personal loans, no active lawsuits or wage garnishments in progress that need emergency handling, and no significant nonexempt assets like a second property, valuable business interests, or a paid-off home with substantial equity beyond your state’s homestead exemption.

What it doesn’t do

Upsolve doesn’t handle Chapter 13 at all, which is the reorganization bankruptcy used when you’re above the income threshold, need to catch up on a mortgage or car loan, or have debts that Chapter 7 doesn’t discharge as cleanly. It doesn’t represent you in court or respond on your behalf if a creditor objects to your discharge or files a motion. It generally isn’t built for cases involving significant real estate, business ownership, prior bankruptcy filings within the lookback period, or debts you’re trying to have declared non-dischargeable for a specific legal reason. If your situation includes any of these, the tool will typically flag that you should consult an attorney rather than proceed.

What it costs

Upsolve itself is free. It’s funded by donations and grants rather than user fees. However, filing bankruptcy still involves a federal court filing fee, currently a few hundred dollars for Chapter 7, though this is set by the courts and can change, so confirm the current amount on your district’s PACER or court website. If you can’t afford the fee, Upsolve’s intake also helps you determine if you qualify for an installment payment plan or a full fee waiver, and helps generate the paperwork to request one.

How it compares to hiring an attorney

A bankruptcy attorney costs money — commonly several hundred to over a thousand dollars for a straightforward Chapter 7 — but provides legal advice specific to your situation, represents you if anything gets contested, and catches issues a self-help tool can’t, like whether a particular asset is actually exempt in your state or whether a recent transfer of property could be challenged as fraudulent. Upsolve is a reasonable option when your case is simple, your income and assets clearly qualify, and cost is the primary barrier to filing at all. It is not a substitute for an attorney when your case has any complexity, and it says so itself throughout the intake process.

Other free options worth knowing about

Upsolve isn’t the only free path. Legal aid organizations in most states offer free bankruptcy help to income-qualifying filers, often with an actual attorney rather than a self-help tool, though availability and wait times vary widely by location. Many bankruptcy courts also maintain self-help resources or clinics, sometimes staffed by local bar association volunteers. It’s worth checking what’s available in your district before deciding between Upsolve, legal aid, or a paid attorney.