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You may have seen ads for Minnesota debt relief, and you're questioning whether debt relief is legitimate.
You are in the right place.
Here's what will we will cover in this article which will hopefully address your most pressing questions.
Minnesota debt relief is an organization that links debtors with other debt settlement companies. Alternatively, debt relief is a financial hardship option when you are unable to afford your debt. This is where a company or you would reduce your balance owed by negotiating directly with your creditors.
Think of a $10,000 balance that is negotiated and settled for $5,000. You may have been paying $300 per month on that debt, and now you are only paying $150 on that debt, thus providing you debt relief.
Minnesota Debt Relief is a company that refers customers to debt settlement companies. Therefore, you don't sign up with them directly. You will be signing up with the company they recommend to you. Here’s a picture that you may be familiar with:
It appears that Minnesota debt relief org often refers customers to ClearOne Advantage or other providers. Hence, it’s essential to understand the fees that you will be paying through the company that it recommends to you.
Finder states that ClearOne Advantage usually charges 25% of enrolled debt, which is about standard in the industry as of 2025.
Minnesota Debt Relief Org is part of Envoy Media Group, which does have a BBB page with two reviews, and there’s a review on Finder for one of the state debt relief articles that mentioned getting calls over 20 times in a single day.
What can be helpful is to consider the reviews of who Minnesota refers you to. For example, if you are referred to ClearOne Advantage, you may look for ClearOne Advantages reviews that we cover extensively in an article.
One of the biggest mistakes that I see in the thousands of people we've helped in the last ~10 years is making a quick financial decision when stressed out, and not understanding all of their options.
Chapter 7 bankruptcy is often the cheapest and fastest Minnesota debt relief option, but you usually have to qualify using the Minnesota bankruptcy means test, which is based on your income, household size, and state. If it’s helpful, here are the income limits for bankruptcy cases filed on or after November 1, 2025.
| # of People | Annual Income |
|---|---|
| 1 | $77,696 |
| 2 | $98,328 |
| 3 | $126,487 |
| 4 | $149,882 |
| 5 | $160,982 |
| 6 | $172,082 |
| 7 | $183,182 |
| 8 | $194,282 |
| 9 | $205,382 |
From using the calculator, you will notice that the cost to file bankruptcy in Minnesota is $313 for a Chapter 13 and $338 for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. You may notice that does not include attorney fees though. Attorney fees may vary depending on where you live. For example, the Chapter 7 attorney fees are estimated at $1,450 in Minneapolis vs $1,170 in Rochester. For Chapter 13 bankruptcy in Minnesota the estimated attorney fee is $3,000.
You may also notice that you are at risk of losing assets, such as your home or vehicle, if you have too much equity in a vehicle. To protect these assets, you can look at the Minnesota bankruptcy exemptions. For example, you can see the homestead exemption information below (source):
“Minn. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 510.02. $390,000 or, if the homestead is used primarily for agricultural purposes, $975,000; cannot exceed 1/2 acre in city, 160 acres elsewhere.”
For debt management in Minnesota, you’ll see the estimated monthly payment driven by potential interest rates reduction. Debt management is often most helpful if you have high interest credit cards.
For debt settlement, you’ll notice an estimated fee amount and an estimated settlement amount as the companies are trying to negotiate amounts (from say $10,000 to $5,000).
Many people are looking for emergency debt relief in Minnesota, often capturing the most recent events. For example, a debt relief company may be pitching inflation debt relief when inflation is high.
If a company is promising you Minnesota emergency debt relief, please do your research to make sure that they are not just trying to pitch to you a debt relief program with high fees.
Many people in Minnesota experience hardship that requires some debt relief. Thankfully, there are legal debt relief options such as bankruptcy in Minnesota to help you get relief from your debt and a fresh start.
In Minnesota, you may also find legal aid options helpful that can help you get the help you need at a lower cost.
Please note that not everyone qualifies for free legal aid. If you are at or below the Minnesota poverty guidelines, you could also have your bankruptcy filing fee waived. Below are the Minnesota poverty guidelines.
| # of People | 150% 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. | |
Finally, let’s cover some of the pros and cons of debt relief in Minnesota. You can find this list of pros and cons in our debt relief calculator results as well.
We recently polled thousands of our users to help us understand which cons the debt relief companies did not provide. Here were the top cons that our user provided. So, if you get a quote from a debt relief firm, you may want to understand each of these cons.
Debt relief is a broader term that refers to getting assistance to help with your debt. Here are the various debt relief options:
Pursuing debt relief in Minnesota is ultimately your decision and you know your finances best. For example, are you living in Saint Paul and seeing that your rent is going to continue to rise? Are you facing inflation pressures from living in Minneapolis and trying to live on a Minnesota minimum wage of $10.33 per hour?
What you can do (if helpful) is take the free Minnesota debt relief calculator below that can help you estimate the costs and pros and cons of each of your options.
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