April 2026 Bankruptcy Filings Report

Consumer Chapters Continue to Drive the Filing Base

Consumer chapters continued to account for most filing activity in April, with all major chapters running above last year’s levels.

Compared to April 2025:

• Chapter 7: 37,038 filings, up 13.05%
• Chapter 13: 18,547 filings, up 13.02%
• Chapter 11: 742 filings, up 44.64%
• Subchapter V: 293 filings, up 42.93%

Together, Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 accounted for 98.5% of all April filings.

Both of the large consumer chapters moved lower month over month. Chapter 7 declined by 1,518 filings, or 3.94%, and Chapter 13 declined by 445, or 2.34%. Chapter 11 was essentially flat, while Subchapter V increased modestly. That tells us the monthly change came mainly from consumer-volume adjustment rather than a broader shift across all filing types.

The filing mix also continued to shift toward Chapter 7. After starting the year at roughly a 60/38 split between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13, the mix moved to about 66/33 by March and April, showing a shift toward liquidation cases rather than repayment plans.

The year-over-year numbers remained firm. Chapter 7 was up 13.05%, Chapter 13 was up 13.02%, Chapter 11 was up 44.64%, and Subchapter V was up 42.93%. The commercial growth rates are notable, but the overall filing picture is still being shaped primarily by consumer volume.

Q2 Started from a Stronger Base

April is only the first month of the second quarter, so it is too early to draw conclusions about the full quarter. Even so, the opening level is worth noting.

At 56,442 filings, April came in well above January 2026’s 45,834, which means Q2 opened 23.14% higher than Q1 did. It also started 13.51% above April 2025.

Total filings year-to-date were up 13.46% from the same period in 2025, reinforcing that the broader upward trend remains intact even with April’s modest month-over-month pullback.

That does not mean Q2 will keep rising at the same pace. It does mean the quarter began at a stronger level than both the prior quarter and the same point last year. The filing environment remains firm as the second quarter gets underway.

Large States Still Anchor the National Picture

The largest filing states in April were:

• California: 5,329
• Florida: 4,519
• Texas: 3,609
• Georgia: 2,850
• Ohio: 2,674
• Illinois: 2,588
• Michigan: 2,248
• New York: 2,085
• Tennessee: 2,026
• Alabama: 1,842

Florida remained one of the stronger large-state growth stories, with filings up 23.71% year over year. Texas stood out even more, rising 37.96%, while California grew 13.89%, Georgia 18.75%, and Ohio 13.21%. Other states posting solid gains with meaningful volume included Washington, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Arizona.

The broader pattern remains familiar. Filing growth is spread across multiple regions, but the South and Sun Belt continue to account for a significant share of the increase.

April’s Decline Was Milder Than Usual

April’s headline suggests some cooling. That is true on the surface, but the historical comparison gives the month a different shape.

From 2000 through 2025, filings declined an average of 7.68% from March to April. This year, they declined only 3.26%. So April did move lower, but it held up better than the long-run pattern would suggest.

That is what makes the month worth paying attention to. April was not another surge, but it was also not much of a release. It looked more like a market pausing at a higher level than one losing momentum