A screening formula in bankruptcy that compares a household's income and allowed expenses to decide whether filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy is fair game or whether the person may be pushed toward Chapter 13 bankruptcy instead.

Here's the blunt version: Congress built this test to weed out people it thinks can still pay something to creditors. Under 11 U.S.C. § 707(b), as shaped by the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, the court looks at your "current monthly income," usually based on the six months before filing, then compares it to Rhode Island's median income figures and a set of allowed expense standards. If income is low enough, passing is easier. If it's higher, the math gets ugly fast, and the test may say there is a "presumption of abuse."

For people dealing with medical debt, lost work after an injury, or unstable overtime from jobs tied to places like Lifespan or Naval Station Newport, the timing matters. A few strong paychecks before a layoff can make someone look richer on paper than they really are. That can block a clean discharge under Chapter 7 or force a repayment plan.

In an injury-related money crisis, the means test can shape everything: when to file, whether to wait, and whether a personal injury settlement might affect the bigger bankruptcy picture. Bad timing can cost months, money, and options.