Kansas City Bankruptcy Statistics

If you are considering Chapter 13 bankruptcy in Kansas City, these statistics should inform your decision:

• On the Missouri side, roughly 4 in 10 Chapter 13 cases fail. That means 4 in 10 filers spent months or years making payments to a trustee and got no debt relief at the end.
• On the Kansas side, roughly 3 in 10 fail. Still significant, but substantially better outcomes.
• Nearly 1 in 3 Missouri filers had a previous bankruptcy case. This "prior filer" rate suggests many people are cycling through the system without achieving lasting relief.
• Quality of representation matters enormously. The data shows that representation quality is one of the strongest predictors of plan completion.

The Missouri-Side Trend Is Alarming

The Western District of Missouri's dismissal rate has risen from 35.5% in 2010 to a preliminary 93.5% in 2024. Even accounting for the fact that recent years overcount dismissals (because successful plans are still running), the trend line is unmistakable. Something is going wrong on the Missouri side.

The Prior Filer Problem

28.6% of Missouri-side filers had a prior bankruptcy case. Nearly 1 in 3 people filing Chapter 13 in W.D. Mo. have been through this before. This cycling through the system suggests the first filing failed to provide lasting relief - and raises questions about whether filers were properly screened under section 1328(f).

4,555 Potential 1328(f) Violations

An estimated 4,555 cases across both districts may involve potential eligibility violations under 11 U.S.C. section 1328(f) - filings where the debtor had a prior discharge within the statutory time bar and could never have received a new discharge. These cases consume court resources and cost consumers time and money for a legally impossible outcome.