Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Plan Payment Calculator

This calculator will help you determine the minimum monthly payment you'd need to make as part of your Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Plan.

By , J.D. California Western School of Law

In Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you propose a repayment plan to pay back some or all of your debts over a three to five-year period. This calculator estimates your minimum monthly Chapter 13 payment by calculating your secured and priority payments—amounts that all Chapter 13 filers must pay.

You might have to pay more, however, because a Chapter 13 plan payment depends on other factors, including:

  • where you live
  • your income and expenses
  • whether you own nonexempt property, and
  • the types of debts you have.

For instance, you'll have a higher payment if you have a lot of disposable income that could be used to pay other creditors, or if you can't protect all of your property with a bankruptcy exemption (nonexempt property).

Until you confirm your payment amount with a local bankruptcy lawyer, anticipate paying the greater of the calculator result, the value of your nonexempt assets (minus sales costs), or your disposable income. (Chapter 13 filings are complex. Filing without a bankruptcy lawyer isn't recommended.)

INSTRUCTIONS. Enter the secured loan balance or the collateral's FMV (fair market value) only if you plan to keep the property associated with the debt—not if you intend to surrender the home, car, or another type of collateral to the lender. Enter all priority debts.

For questions, see How the Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Plan Payment is Calculated or read one of the specific resources linked below.

Minimum Chapter 13 Plan Payment Calculator
Debts That Must be Repaid
1. Mortgage arrears
2. Arrears on other home loans or lines of credit
(unless you plan to strip them off—see the link above)
3. Balance on car loan (or FMV for a cramdown)
(enter the balance only if your jurisdiction requires you to pay off your car loan through your plan, not if you can pay it outside of the plan; if you plan to cram down a car loan that's at least 910-days old, enter the FMV instead of the loan balance)
4. Balance on a loan secured by personal property or the balance of a rental real estate loan you plan to cram down (use FMV for a cramdown—see link above)
(for tools, furniture, equipment, household goods, other personal property; use if you plan to or if your jurisdiction requires you to pay off your entire loan through your plan; if you plan to cram down the loan on personal property or rental real estate, enter the FMV instead of the loan balance)
5. Car loan arrears
(use if your jurisdiction doesn't require you to pay off the entire balance of the loan to catch up; otherwise, insert the entire balance owed on Line 3)
6. Arrears on other secured loans
(for tools, furniture, equipment, household goods, other personal property; use if your jurisdiction doesn't require you to pay off the entire balance of the loan to catch up; otherwise, insert the entire balance owed on Line 4)
7. Alimony and child support arrears
8. Tax debts
(only those that qualify as priority tax debts)
9. Total amount of claim for death or personal injury arising out of your driving under the influence or fraud judgment
10. Total amount of other priority debts
11. Other
Plan Length and Calculations
Length of plan in months
(must be 36 or 60 months unless you're paying creditors 100% of what you owe)
Administrative fees*
(will vary; 10% used here)
*You will also have to pay interest on secured claims paid through the plan. That amount isn't included in this calculation.
Total amount paid through plan
Minimum Chapter 13 plan payment