Question 1

Which bankruptcy court do I file in for Wyoming?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 2

What is the bankruptcy means test income limit in Wyoming?

Accepted Answer

Median family income for Wyoming: 1 person $71,745; 2 people $91,502; 3 people $98,476; 4 people $110,297; add $11,100 for each additional person beyond 4. These figures apply to bankruptcy cases filed on or after July 15, 2026.

Question 3

Can you use the federal bankruptcy exemptions in Wyoming?

Accepted Answer

Wyoming has opted out of the federal bankruptcy exemptions. The federal exemption list in 11 U.S.C. 522(d) is not available when Wyoming law applies on the filing date and the debtor's domicile has been in Wyoming for the 180 days before filing (or for longer during that period than anywhere else). Those filers use Wyoming's state exemptions.

Question 4

How much home equity is protected in bankruptcy in Wyoming?

Accepted Answer

Every Wyoming resident is entitled to a homestead exemption of up to $100,000 in value, which applies only while the owner or the owner's family occupies the home. When two or more people jointly own and live in the same residence, each is entitled to the exemption. The homestead may be a house on a lot or on other land of any number of acres, or a house trailer or other movable home, so the statute sets no acreage limit.

Question 5

Can I keep my car in bankruptcy in Wyoming?

Accepted Answer

Up to $5,000 of value in a motor vehicle.

Question 6

Are retirement accounts protected in bankruptcy in Wyoming?

Accepted Answer

An individual's or beneficiary's interest in a retirement plan, and money or assets payable from one (including to a beneficiary who inherited the interest), are exempt from execution, attachment, garnishment or other legal process. "Retirement plan" means a plan, account or annuity qualified under Internal Revenue Code sections 401, 403, 408, 408A, 409, 414 or 457, which covers 401(k)s, 403(b)s, traditional and Roth IRAs and 457 plans. The exemption does not apply to contributions made within 90 days before filing bankruptcy or to an alternate payee's claim under a qualified domestic relations order.

Question 7

Are wages protected in bankruptcy in Wyoming?

Accepted Answer

Wyoming's exemption chapter has no separate wage exemption for bankruptcy. Wyoming's garnishment law limits garnishment to the lesser of 25% of weekly disposable earnings or the amount by which weekly disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage, and earnings deposited in a bank account within 20 days before a garnishment remain exempt to the same extent.

Question 8

Can I file bankruptcy without a lawyer in Wyoming?

Accepted Answer

The District of Wyoming's "Filing Without an Attorney" page links to the U.S. Courts' bankruptcy basics and filing-without-an-attorney information, U.S. Trustee means test information, approved credit counseling and debtor education providers, and the poverty guidelines and court procedures for a Chapter 7 filing fee waiver. The court's "Guide for Filing Without an Attorney" notes that the Clerk's Office cannot give legal advice or help prepare forms and that parties may not contact the judge about a case outside proper channels, and covers protecting your Social Security number, case records and credit reporting, the added responsibilities of an unrepresented debtor, the roles of the judge and trustee, the bankruptcy estate, how to create the creditor mailing list (matrix), and instructions for the individual bankruptcy forms.

Question 9

How much does a Chapter 13 bankruptcy lawyer cost in Wyoming?

Accepted Answer

District of Wyoming (the state's only bankruptcy district): under Local Rule 2016-1(A), Attorney Fee Applications in Chapter 13 Cases (Local Bankruptcy Rules and Forms effective July 1, 2012), the debtor's attorney must file a fee application in a chapter 13 case, but if the fees and expenses requested do not exceed a total of $3,500.00, exclusive of the filing fee, an itemization of time and services is not required. The rule states this fee is intended to compensate counsel for all reasonable fees incurred to achieve confirmation of a chapter 13 plan, absent extraordinary circumstances; notice of the application must be given under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 2002(a)(6).

State or federal exemptions	Wyoming has opted out of the federal bankruptcy exemptions. The federal exemption list in 11 U.S.C. 522(d) is not available when Wyoming law applies on the filing date and the debtor's domicile has been in Wyoming for the 180 days before filing (or for longer during that period than anywhere else). Those filers use Wyoming's state exemptions. Read in the Wyoming Legislature's compiled Title 1 statutes PDF. Source: Wyo. Stat. § 1-20-109
Homestead exemption	Every Wyoming resident is entitled to a homestead exemption of up to $100,000 in value, which applies only while the owner or the owner's family occupies the home. When two or more people jointly own and live in the same residence, each is entitled to the exemption. The homestead may be a house on a lot or on other land of any number of acres, or a house trailer or other movable home, so the statute sets no acreage limit. Read in the Wyoming Legislature's compiled Title 1 statutes PDF. The exemption does not apply against a debt for the purchase money of the property, and the person claiming it must be a bona fide Wyoming resident (§ 1-20-108). Source: Wyo. Stat. §§ 1-20-101, 1-20-102, 1-20-104
Car exemption	Up to $5,000 of value in a motor vehicle. Read in the Wyoming Legislature's compiled Title 1 statutes PDF. Source: Wyo. Stat. § 1-20-106(a)(iv)
Retirement accounts	An individual's or beneficiary's interest in a retirement plan, and money or assets payable from one (including to a beneficiary who inherited the interest), are exempt from execution, attachment, garnishment or other legal process. "Retirement plan" means a plan, account or annuity qualified under Internal Revenue Code sections 401, 403, 408, 408A, 409, 414 or 457, which covers 401(k)s, 403(b)s, traditional and Roth IRAs and 457 plans. The exemption does not apply to contributions made within 90 days before filing bankruptcy or to an alternate payee's claim under a qualified domestic relations order. Read in the Wyoming Legislature's compiled Title 1 statutes PDF. Source: Wyo. Stat. § 1-20-110
Wages	Wyoming's exemption chapter has no separate wage exemption for bankruptcy. Wyoming's garnishment law limits garnishment to the lesser of 25% of weekly disposable earnings or the amount by which weekly disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage, and earnings deposited in a bank account within 20 days before a garnishment remain exempt to the same extent. Read in the Wyoming Legislature's compiled Title 1 statutes PDF. Source: Wyo. Stat. §§ 1-15-408(a)-(b), 1-15-511(a)

Bankruptcy court	Wyoming has one federal bankruptcy court district: the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Wyoming (https://www.wyb.uscourts.gov/). Source: Official U.S. Bankruptcy Court website(s)
Filing without a lawyer	The District of Wyoming's "Filing Without an Attorney" page links to the U.S. Courts' bankruptcy basics and filing-without-an-attorney information, U.S. Trustee means test information, approved credit counseling and debtor education providers, and the poverty guidelines and court procedures for a Chapter 7 filing fee waiver. The court's "Guide for Filing Without an Attorney" notes that the Clerk's Office cannot give legal advice or help prepare forms and that parties may not contact the judge about a case outside proper channels, and covers protecting your Social Security number, case records and credit reporting, the added responsibilities of an unrepresented debtor, the roles of the judge and trustee, the bankruptcy estate, how to create the creditor mailing list (matrix), and instructions for the individual bankruptcy forms. Also read: https://www.wyb.uscourts.gov/filing-without-attorney Source: U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Wyoming, pro se pages
Standard Chapter 13 lawyer fee	District of Wyoming (the state's only bankruptcy district): under Local Rule 2016-1(A), Attorney Fee Applications in Chapter 13 Cases (Local Bankruptcy Rules and Forms effective July 1, 2012), the debtor's attorney must file a fee application in a chapter 13 case, but if the fees and expenses requested do not exceed a total of $3,500.00, exclusive of the filing fee, an itemization of time and services is not required. The rule states this fee is intended to compensate counsel for all reasonable fees incurred to achieve confirmation of a chapter 13 plan, absent extraordinary circumstances; notice of the application must be given under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 2002(a)(6). Source: Local Bankruptcy Rules and Forms, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Wyoming (effective July 1, 2012), Local Rule 2016-1(A)

Filing Bankruptcy in Wyoming: Means Test, Exemptions and Courts

Quick answers for Wyoming

Qualifying for Chapter 7

What you can keep (exemptions)

Where and how to file

Bankruptcy FAQ

More Wyoming law