July Small Business Filings Increase 24% Year Over Year

Total Bankruptcy Filings Increase 10%

NEW YORK, Aug. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 234 Subchapter V elections within Chapter 11 in July 2026 represent a 24% increase over the 188 filings recorded in July 2025, according to data provided by Epiq AACER, the leading provider of US bankruptcy filing data.

Key July 2026 data include:

• 54,718 total bankruptcy filings, a 10% increase from July 2025 (49,674).
• 51,925 individual bankruptcy filings, an 11% increase from July 2025 (46,639).
• 32,651 individual Chapter 7 filings, a 12% increase from July 2025 (29,122).
  

“July’s filings increase reflects the cumulative impact of elevated interest rates, higher target inflation, and record household debt levels that near $18.8 trillion,” said Michael Hunter, Vice President of Epiq AACER. “These numbers capture the ongoing stress from tighter credit conditions and softer consumer demand that have built over the past two years.”

In July 2026, there were:

• 19,152 individual Chapter 13 filings, a 10 % increase from July 2025 (17,410).
• 2793 overall commercial filings, an 8% decrease from July 2025 (3035).
• 666 commercial Chapter 11 filings, a 27% decrease from July 2025 (914). Note that last year’s total included more than 300 filings from a large healthcare system’s bankruptcy.
  

“Bankruptcy serves as a critical safeguard, helping households and businesses reorganize their finances, preserve value, and move forward during periods of financial distress,” said Amy Quackenboss, Executive Director at the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI). “ABI appreciates the continued efforts of Congress to permanently expand access for both distressed small businesses looking to restructure under Subchapter V and for consumers looking to file under Chapter 13.”

Legislation introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) recently passed the Senate to permanently increase the debt eligibility limit to $7.5 million for small businesses looking to restructure under the streamlined process of Subchapter V of Chapter 11. The legislation would also raise the debt limit for individual Chapter 13 filings to $2.75 million and remove the distinction between secured and unsecured debt for that calculation. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives, where companion legislation was previously introduced by Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) and was reported favorably for full House consideration.

Comparing previous month totals:

• Total filings increased 5% from June’s total of 52,291.
• Individual filings increased 5% from June’s total of 49,420.
• Individual Chapter 7s increased 4% from June’s total of 31,423.
• Individual Chapter 13s increased 7% from June’s total of 17,887.
• Commercial filings decreased 3% from June’s total of 2871.
• Commercial Chapter 11 filings decreased 18% from June’s total of 814.
• Subchapter V elections decreased 9% from June’s total of 257.
  

ABI has partnered with Epiq Bankruptcy to provide the most current bankruptcy filing data for analysts, researchers, and members of the news media. Epiq Bankruptcy is the leading provider of data, technology, and services for companies operating in the business of bankruptcy. Its Bankruptcy Analytics subscription service provides on-demand access to the industry’s most dynamic bankruptcy data, updated daily. Learn more.

About Epiq
Epiq, a technology and services leader, takes on large-scale and complex tasks for corporations, law firms, and the courts by integrating people, process, technology, and data intelligence. Clients rely on Epiq to streamline legal, compliance, and settlement administration workflows to drive efficiency, minimize risk, and improve cost savings. With a presence in 17 countries, our values define who we are and how we partner with clients and communities. Learn how Epiq and its 4,000 people worldwide create meaningful change at epiqglobal.com.
 
About ABI 
ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes nearly 10,000 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists and other bankruptcy professionals, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abi.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abi.org/calendar-of-events.

Press Contacts
John Lute
Senior Director, Marketing, Epiq
John.Lute@epiqglobal.com
 
John Hartgen
Public Affairs Officer, ABI
jhartgen@abi.org