Filing Bankruptcy in Oregon: Means Test, Exemptions and Courts

Oregon has one federal bankruptcy court district: the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Oregon (https://www.orb.uscourts.gov/).

Median family income for Oregon: 1 person $79,089; 2 people $93,670; 3 people $116,729; 4 people $140,024; add $11,100 for each additional person beyond 4. These figures apply to bankruptcy cases filed on or after July 15, 2026.

Oregon has not opted out. A person living in Oregon who files for bankruptcy may use either the federal exemptions in 11 U.S.C. 522(d) or the Oregon state exemptions, but not both. Using any exemption from one list rules out the other list.

The statute sets the homestead exemption at $150,000 for one debtor, or $300,000 combined for two or more household members who are debtors, and requires the State Court Administrator to adjust these amounts for inflation every July 1. The Oregon Judicial Department's published table lists $158,300 for one judgment debtor and $316,700 for two or more in the same household for the period from July 1, 2026 to before July 1, 2027. The home must be the actual residence of the owner or the owner's spouse, parent or child. Area limit: up to 160 acres outside a town or city laid off into blocks and lots, or up to one block inside such a town or city. For child support, spousal support or restitution debts the exemption is $40,000 ($50,000 combined) and is not indexed. The exemption does not apply to purchase-money liens, mortgages, or construction liens for work on the home.

One vehicle (automobile, truck, trailer or other motor vehicle) up to $10,000 in value. If the debt is for child support, spousal support or a judgment that includes restitution, the limit is $3,000. Household members who are joint debtors may each claim the vehicle exemption, and may combine it for jointly owned property.

The debtor's interest in any personal property, up to $400 in value. This exemption cannot be used to increase the amount of any other exemption.

A retirement plan is treated as a valid spendthrift trust and the beneficiary's interest is exempt automatically, without having to claim it. Covered plans include pension and profit-sharing plans under Internal Revenue Code sections 401(a), 401(c), 401(k), 403 and 457, traditional and Roth IRAs (including SEP IRAs), and government or private employment pensions. Contributions that are not 'permitted contributions' can be challenged as voidable transactions, and for support debts only 75% of the interest (or 50% of a lump-sum withdrawal) is exempt. Exempt retirement funds stay exempt when deposited in a bank account if reasonably identifiable, up to an accumulation of $7,500.

75% of disposable earnings is exempt. In addition, the debtor must be left with at least a minimum amount: for wages payable from July 1, 2026 to before July 1, 2027, $400 for a week or less, $832 for two weeks, $912 for a half-month, and $1,792 for a month. From July 1, 2027 the weekly minimum becomes 30 times the Oregon minimum wage (60, 65 and 130 times for the other pay periods), recalculated each year by the State Court Administrator. Lower minimums apply to child support, spousal support and restitution debts. Exempt wages stay exempt when deposited in a bank account if reasonably identifiable, up to an accumulation of $7,500.

Oregon has one bankruptcy district. The court's 'Filing Without an Attorney' page lists three ways to file: the free online eSR petition system (chapter 7 only, with up to 45 days to finish), fillable PDF forms filed through the Public Document Upload, by mail, in person in Portland or Eugene, or by fax, or a paper petition packet mailed on request. A valid credit counseling certificate or Local Bankruptcy Form (LBF) 100.3 must be filed with the petition or the case may be dismissed immediately. The page also offers a filing checklist, LBF 101D for a debtor's change of address, motion and certificate-of-service templates, information on the Oregon State Bar Lawyer Referral Service, a bankruptcy clinic, a pro bono program for low-income people in certain counties, and phone numbers for emergency filings. Fees can be paid by money order or by an application to pay in installments or to waive the chapter 7 fee. Court staff cannot give legal advice.

District of Oregon (the state's only bankruptcy district): Local Bankruptcy Form 1305, Chapter 13 Debtor's Attorney's Compensation Disclosure and Application (12/1/2025), used under LBR 2016-1, sets maximum fixed fees: Schedule 1 (life-of-the-case fixed fee, all reasonably necessary services for the entire case including contested matter litigation but excluding adversary proceedings and appeals) of $6,225 maximum plus expenses of $675 maximum; and Schedule 2.(a) (fixed fee through confirmation and the initial audit of claims, including prepetition services) of $4,250 maximum. Under the hourly Schedule 2.(b), an itemization (LBF 1306) is required if the agreed estimated total compensation exceeds $4,250 (LBR 2016-1, as amended December 1, 2025).