The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA) includes a means test set forth primarily in subsection 707(b) of the Bankruptcy Code. The Code provides that a case may be dismissed if "the granting of relief would be an abuse of the provisions of this chapter." The formula for determining whether a presumption of abuse exists is called the means test. 

The Bankruptcy Means Test is a legislative attempt at a formula that measures the ability of debtors to repay unsecured creditors over a period of time. The means test is a backward-looking litmus test using mathematical computations to help the court determine if the debtor is abusing the system by filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The objective of the bankruptcy means test was to remove judicial discretion from the process of determining if the abuse exists.

Chapter 7 bankruptcy is an extremely powerful tool that can help you get out from underneath overwhelming debt and get a fresh start. However, most people don’t realize that you have to be income-qualified in order to be eligible to file for Chapter 7.