How the Chapter 13 plan length calculator works
In a Chapter 13 case you repay creditors out of disposable income for a fixed number of months and the remaining qualifying balance is discharged. Enter your current monthly income, allowed living expenses, the median income figure for your state and household size, and your unsecured debt to see the commitment period, total plan payments and the share of unsecured debt those payments would cover.
The length is driven by the means test rather than by the size of the debt. Debtors whose current monthly income is below the applicable median generally use a three-year period, while debtors at or above the median use five years.
Statutory basis (as of September 2026) — the applicable commitment period is set by 11 U.S.C. 1325(b)(4): three years for below-median debtors and not less than five years for debtors at or above the applicable median family income, with 11 U.S.C. 1322(d) capping any plan at five years. Current monthly income is defined in 11 U.S.C. 101(10A) as the six-month average before filing. Median family income tables are issued by the U.S. Trustee Program and change during the year.
This calculator is for reference only and is not legal advice. The trustee and the bankruptcy court review income, expenses and asset schedules before a plan is confirmed, so consult a licensed bankruptcy attorney about your specific situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Under 11 U.S.C. 1325(b)(4)(B) a shorter plan is allowed if unsecured claims are paid in full over that shorter period. Otherwise the three-year applicable commitment period applies.
No. It only applies the statutory period and arithmetic to the numbers you enter. Confirmation depends on the good-faith, feasibility and best-interests requirements that the court reviews under 11 U.S.C. 1325(a).