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How Much A Lawyer Charges For Chapter 7 in New Mexico in 2026

This article is for informational purposes only. Ascend does not provide legal advice, and is not an attorney.

The cost to file bankruptcy in New Mexico is $338 for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy and $313 for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy based on the US bankruptcy court fee schedule. That said, are you going to hire an attorney? Are you going to apply for a fee waiver?  

Estimate the All-In Bankruptcy Cost in 30 Seconds

We received so many questions about how much bankruptcy costs in New Mexico that we built a database of attorney fees. Use your zip code below to estimate the cost of bankruptcy in your city in New Mexico.


1. Bankruptcy Attorney Fees New Mexico

In 2026, we found that the Chapter 7 attorney fee range can cost between $1250 - $1950, but the free bankruptcy cost calculator below should be able to estimate based on your exact city in New Mexico.  We got this information by spending approximately $1,000 on PACERa public records database that contains bankruptcy attorney fees.  

A Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is often less expensive than a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. As stated above, Chapter 7 bankruptcy attorneys in New Mexico can cost between $1250 - $1950. The cost may increase or decrease based on the following factors: 

The bankruptcy lawyer's cost is often based on the following attributes:

  1. Which type of chapter are you filing (i.e., Chapter 7 vs Chapter 13)
  2. The complexity of your case (i.e., no asset vs asset)
  3. Your location (i.e, Albuquerque vs Las Cruces
  4. Level of attorney connection
  5. Attorney expertise (i.e., how many years of experience)

Here are some cost ranges in major cities in New Mexico.

Attorney Fees in Albuquerque

Albuquerque is the most populated city in New Mexico with a population of 560,218. Bankruptcy attorneys in Albuquerque can cost an estimated $1,500. 

Attorney Fees in Las Cruces

Bankruptcy attorneys in Las Cruces can cost an estimated $1,250.

Attorney Fees in Rio Rancho

Bankruptcy attorneys in Rio Rancho can cost an estimated $1,250.

2. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Attorney Fees New Mexico

Chapter 13 bankruptcy attorneys fees in New Mexico can cost $3,000. The fee may vary by district. 

While Chapter 7 attorney fees vary, many Chapter 13 fees are relatively similar, based on no-look fees, a reasonable cost for the service provided. You may still want to see whether the attorney charges an hourly rate for any additional work after filing the Chapter 13

3. Bankruptcy Filing Costs

Bankruptcy filing costs are pretty similar across the United States, not just New Mexico. Here are the other costs to consider. 

Bankruptcy Filing Fees

The US Courthouse has a fee schedule and a bankruptcy form that provides the filing fee. 

The Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing fee is $338 ($245 filing fee $78 administrative fee + $15 trustee surcharge).

The Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing fee is $313 ($235 filing fee + $78 administrative fee).

If you cannot afford the filing fee, you may be able to pay the filing fee in installments, or it could be waived altogether. For more information, please see the New Mexico filing fee information, and the information below

New Mexico Filing Fee Waiver Guidelines

You may be eligible to have your Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing fees waived if you are below 150% of New Mexico poverty guidelines. For example, see the guidelines below for cases filed in New Mexico in 2022. 


# of People150% Poverty Guideline
1$15,060
2$20,440
3$25,820
4$31,200
5$36,580
6$41,960
7$47,340
8$52,720
9$58,100
* Add $5,380 for each individual in excess of 9.

Mandatory Course Costs

When you file bankruptcy, you have to take an approved credit counseling course in New Mexico and a debtor education course. You can often take both courses online. The average cost may be around $10 to $50 per course. Please note that the courses must be approved, so here is the list of approved New Mexico credit counseling courses and New Mexico debtor education courses, which should also include the cost of the course. 

Miscellaneous Costs

You may have to pay for transportation to the meeting of creditors at the courthouse, but most 341 meetings of creditors are still online, even after COVID. You may also have to pay for a credit report for your attorney (though they may be able to help you with it).

You can estimate the cost of transportation to one of the bankruptcy courts below:


District of New Mexico

  • 333 Lomas Blvd NW
    Albuquerque, NM 87102
  • 421 Gold Ave SW
    Albuquerque, NM 87102
  • 100 N. Church Street
    Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001
  • 106 S. Federal Place
    Santa Fe, NM, 87501
  • 500 N. Richardson
    Roswell, NM 88201


Will Inflation Affect the Cost To File Bankruptcy in New Mexico?

Let’s cover whether inflation may affect the filing fee and the attorney costs in New Mexico.

The Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing fee was updated from $335 to $338, and the Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing fee was updated from $310 to $313, effective December 1st, 2020. Based on the very slight change, I would not expect the filing fee to negatively impact you.

You may see some inflation in attorney fee costs as inflation may force bankruptcy attorneys to pay more to employees and face higher costs of living themselves in cities such as Las Cruces or Rio Rancho or across New Mexico.

Would My Bankruptcy Cost Be Higher Albuquerque Than Rio Rancho?

You may live in a suburb in New Mexico and wonder if you should hire a local attorney or an attorney in a bigger city like Las Cruces to save on bankruptcy costs.

As Albuquerque has the highest population in New Mexico of 560,218, you may expect that the cost of bankruptcy attorney fees may be higher in Albuquerque than Rio Rancho. 

While the cost may be higher in Albuquerque, there may also be more bankruptcy attorneys, increasing competition, and dropping prices. So, you actually could find that the total cost to file bankruptcy, including bankruptcy fees, could be actually much higher in your city than in Albuquerque. 

One thing to keep in mind is that most bankruptcy attorneys offer free bankruptcy consultations, so you can get multiple perspectives. Also, our bankruptcy cost calculator below takes into consideration those variables when providing you with an all-in cost estimate. 

Why Do Some Attorneys Charge Higher Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Fees? 

You may compare prices from two different bankruptcy attorneys in Las Cruces, and find that attorney costs vary between two attorneys.

The Chapter 13 bankruptcy attorneys often charge the same amount regardless in Rio Rancho due to the no-look fee (a normal fee for the services provided). That said, the Chapter 7 bankruptcy attorney fee can vary greatly, so it's important to understand what you are getting for the additional cost.

For example, let’s say you make $10,000 above the median income for New Mexico and still want to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The attorney may then have to spend additional time looking over your expenses to see whether you would qualify for a Chapter 7, even though you are above the median. Additional attorney time generally means a higher overall bankruptcy cost.

Conclusion

As you can see, the cost to file bankruptcy in New Mexico is often based on the city in which you live and the type of bankruptcy that you are filing. The biggest variable affecting all-in bankruptcy costs is the attorney's fee, which may range from $1250 - $1950 for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy to $3,000 for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

Hopefully, this article provides helpful information to help you understand the all-in costs of filing for bankruptcy with a bankruptcy lawyer. Please reach out if you have any questions, or take the free New Mexico bankruptcy cost calculator below.

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