New Hampshire Bankruptcy Laws

Federal filing fee for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Fee waivers available for qualifying low-income filers.

Federal filing fee for Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

You must complete credit counseling from an approved agency within 180 days before filing and a debtor education course before discharge.

To use New Hampshire's state exemptions, you must have lived in New Hampshire for at least 730 days (2 years) before filing your bankruptcy petition.

Protects up to $120,000 of equity in your primary residence ($240,000 for married couples filing jointly). This applies to real property or manufactured housing used as a primary residence.

One automobile is exempt up to $4,000 in equity.

Protects clothing, beds and bedding, household furniture (up to $3,500), cooking stove, heating stove, refrigerator, sewing machine, provisions and fuel (up to $400), books (up to $800), jewelry (up to $500), and tools of the debtor's occupation (up to $5,000).

Any property up to $1,000, plus up to $7,000 in any unused amounts from the furniture, fuel, books, automobile, tools of trade, and jewelry exemptions.

New Hampshire allows filers to choose between the state exemptions or the federal bankruptcy exemptions. You must use one set or the other — you cannot mix state and federal exemptions. The federal homestead exemption is approximately $31,575 (adjusted periodically), which is lower than New Hampshire's state exemption.

New Hampshire follows the federal garnishment limit: the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which weekly earnings exceed 50 times the federal minimum wage.