Credit Counseling

• Anyone thinking about declaring Chapter 7 in Texas must attend credit counseling for six months before they file for bankruptcy. The cost for these counseling sessions must be paid out of the filer's own pocket.
  
  

Previous Bankruptcies

• It is harder to file for Chapter 7 in Texas if it's not your first time declaring bankruptcy. In order to be able to file, you can't have previously declared a Chapter 7 bankruptcy for eight years, or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy for six years. You also can't have had a previous bankruptcy petition dismissed within the past six months because you failed to make the necessary appearances in bankruptcy court.
  
  

The Means Test

• You can only file for Chapter 7 in Texas if your income is less than the median income for a family of four in that state. Otherwise, you will need to look into filing a different type of bankruptcy, such as a Chapter 13.