Florida Median Income for the Means Test: Where the Numbers Come From and When They Change

The first page of the means test asks one question: is your current monthly income, annualized, above or below the median family income for a household your size in your state? The answer sends most Florida filers to one of two places. Below the median, the form is finished and the presumption of abuse does not arise. Above it, the long form, the IRS expense standards, and the disposable income calculation follow.

The median is a number published by the United States Trustee Program, and it changes. Understanding where it comes from and when it moves is worth ten minutes for anyone who is close to the line.

The figures in effect now

For cases filed on or after July 15, 2026, the U.S. Trustee's median family income table lists these figures for Florida:

For each household member beyond four, add $11,100.

Divide by twelve for the monthly figure the form compares against your current monthly income: $5,823 for one person, $7,210 for two, $8,128 for three, $9,563 for four.

Where the numbers come from

Section 101(39A) of the Bankruptcy Code defines "median family income" as the figure calculated and reported by the Bureau of the Census in the then most recent year, adjusted for inflation by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers if the Census figure is more than a year old. The U.S. Trustee Program, the arm of the Department of Justice that oversees bankruptcy administration, does the calculation and publishes the table on its means testing page.

Two points follow from the definition. The figures lag reality by a year or more, because the Census Bureau's American Community Survey data for a given year is released the following fall and the inflation adjustment runs from there. And the figures can go down as well as up, though in Florida they have generally risen with wages and prices.

When the table changes

The U.S. Trustee's page lists each period during which a set of figures applied, going back to the means test's effective date in October 2005. The recent periods show the pattern:

• November 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026
• April 1, 2026 through July 14, 2026
• July 15, 2026 and after

The median income figures were most recently revised for cases filed on or after April 1, 2026, by a notice dated March 18, 2026. The July 15 line reflects a separate update, to the IRS allowable living expense standards and administrative expense multipliers used on the long form, announced June 30, 2026. The table has historically been revised on April 1 and, in some years, again on November 1.

As of the date of this post, the U.S. Trustee has not announced a November 1, 2026 revision to the median figures. That is a statement about the page as it reads today, not a prediction. The practical rule is to open the page and confirm the period that covers your filing date, because a case filed the day after a revision takes effect is tested against the new figures.

Why the update date can matter

A filer whose annualized current monthly income is $69,000 in a one-person household is below the Florida median by $876. If a revision raises the median, the margin grows. If a filer is $500 above the median and a revision adds $1,500 to it, that filer moves from the long form to the short form by doing nothing but waiting for the effective date.

The reverse is possible in principle. A revision that lowers the figure would move a borderline filer the other way. In Florida that has been rare, but the U.S. Trustee's table has occasionally shown small decreases in individual states when the underlying Census data fell.

Because the six-month lookback also moves the filer's own number every month, the comparison is between two moving figures. Our post on the six-month lookback explains the filer's side of the equation. This post is about the other side.

Household size

The median depends on household size, and the form does not define the term. The U.S. Trustee's position, and the majority approach in Florida courts, counts the people who live in the home and are supported by or support the filer, which generally includes a non-filing spouse, minor children, and adult dependents, and generally excludes roommates who pay their own way. Each additional person adds $11,100 to the annual median, so an adult child or elderly parent who genuinely lives in and depends on the household can move a filer across the line. The trustee will ask about the people claimed, and the schedules must be consistent.

Above the median is not the end

The median test is a screening test. A filer above the median completes the rest of Form 122A-2, deducting the IRS National and Local Standards for food, housing, transportation, and other categories, actual expenses in categories the form allows, and secured and priority debt payments. If the resulting monthly disposable income is below the statutory thresholds in § 707(b)(2)(A)(i), the presumption of abuse does not arise and a Chapter 7 proceeds. Many Florida filers with above-median income and a mortgage, a car payment, and children pass on the long form.

What the median does determine, for a filer who ends up in Chapter 13, is the length of the plan. Under 11 U.S.C. § 1322(d), a below-median filer's plan runs three years unless the court approves a longer period for cause, and an above-median filer's plan runs five years. That is a two-year difference in payments, which is why the median matters even for a filer who was never going to qualify for Chapter 7.

Frequently asked questions

Is the median the same for every Florida county? Yes. The median is a statewide figure. The IRS Local Standards for housing and transportation used on the long form vary by county, but the median does not.

Does a filer in a different state use Florida's figure after moving here? The form uses the state where the filer resides on the filing date. The exemption rules follow the 730-day domicile test, but the median income test does not.

Does the median include my spouse's income if we file separately? The median is compared against current monthly income, which includes the non-filing spouse's income before the marital adjustment is applied on the form. Household size includes the spouse.

Can the trustee argue I am above the median if the form says I am below? The trustee can challenge the figures on the form, such as an omitted source of income or an inflated household size. The trustee cannot substitute a different median.

The free Florida means test calculator uses the current Florida figures, takes about three minutes, and shows whether Chapter 7 is realistic before you pay for a consultation.