---
title: "Official Form 101 voluntary petition for individuals filing for bankruptcy"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/precedents/insolvency-restructuring-and-bankruptcy/us-official-form-101"
type: "precedent"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "a8-us-official-form-101"
area_id: "A8"
kind: "form"
ai_level: "red"
version: 1
task_ids: ["A8-T1-R10"]
law_stated_as_at: "2026-10-22"
---

# Official Form 101 voluntary petition for individuals filing for bankruptcy

> Link to Official Form 101, the individual's voluntary bankruptcy petition. Filing it commences the case. The debtor signs under penalty of perjury, so the tool writes none of it.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/precedents/insolvency-restructuring-and-bankruptcy/us-official-form-101  
Law stated as at: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

- Kind: Form. A form to complete, or a guide to completing an official one.
- Practice area: [Insolvency, Restructuring & Bankruptcy](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/insolvency-restructuring-and-bankruptcy.md)
- Jurisdictions: United States
- AI level: Red. You write the text. The tool writes nothing into the document. Where permitted, it may check, clarify or collect data, and anything it checks or collects is verified.
- Law stated as at: 2026-10-22
- Status: Maintained. Checked on 2026-10-22 against the official form at uscourts.gov and the 4 authorities it cites, for United States.

## When to use it

Use when an individual debtor files a voluntary case under chapter 7, 11, 12 or 13. A married couple may file a joint case on the same petition. Download the current form. The page opened on 22 October 2026 listed it effective 22 June 2024.

## Used for these tasks

- [Prepare personal-insolvency papers: bankruptcy notice, petition or equivalent](https://ailawframework.com/practice/insolvency-restructuring-and-bankruptcy/prepare-personal-insolvency-papers-bankruptcy-notice-petition-or-equival.md)

## How AI may be used

The debtor declares under penalty of perjury that the petition is true and correct, so the tool writes no answer on the form and does not choose the chapter.

**AI may:**

- Index prior bankruptcy cases, pending affiliate cases and the picture-identification name already in the file, with dates and case numbers
- Compare a lawyer-prepared draft with the part headings on the current form and list questions still blank
- List which related official forms the draft itself calls for, such as Form 101A, 103A or 103B, without completing them

**AI must not:**

- Must not write, suggest or outline any answer, signature or chapter election on the petition
- Must not choose chapter 7, 11, 12 or 13, or Subchapter V
- Must not state that the debtor is eligible, that venue is proper, or that the fee will be waived
- Must not sign for the debtor or the lawyer, or insert a Social Security number beyond the last four digits the form asks for

**The lawyer checks:**

- The petition is the current Official Form 101, used without alteration except as Bankruptcy Rule 9009 allows
- The chapter checked on page 1 matches Part 2, and the debtor's declaration under penalty of perjury is the debtor's own
- Venue is answered from where the debtor lived, and any 'another reason' is tied to 28 U.S.C. § 1408 as the form directs
- A chapter 7 fee-waiver request is made only with Official Form 103B, and only where the form's conditions are met. Installments use Official Form 103A
- The lawyer's declaration about explaining chapter eligibility and delivering the 11 U.S.C. § 342(b) notice is true before the lawyer signs it

## Authorities

- [Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Official Form 101, Voluntary Petition for Individuals Filing for Bankruptcy, effective 22 June 2024](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/forms/voluntary-petition-individuals-filing-bankruptcy)
- [Official Form 101 (PDF, June 2024 fillable)](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/form_b_101_0624_fillable_clean.pdf)
- [Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9009 (Legal Information Institute)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frbp/rule_9009)
- [11 U.S.C. § 301 (Legal Information Institute)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/301)

## Official form

[Official form](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/forms/voluntary-petition-individuals-filing-bankruptcy)

## Where this comes from

The official form is published by uscourts.gov; this page is a completion guide. Last checked on 2026-10-22.

## Full text and drafting notes

The full text and the drafting notes are not part of this public page. Signed-in firm accounts can read them at https://ailawframework.com/precedents/insolvency-restructuring-and-bankruptcy/us-official-form-101 and through the signed-in MCP connector https://ailawframework.com/mcp/firm.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*