Bankruptcy Means Test Inflation Adjustment for Family of Two Goes the Wrong Way

A family of two should budget less for food and clothes than a year ago, according to means test national standards just announced

Budgeting food and clothes in the bankruptcy court for a family of two just got harder.

According to the Justice Department (who gets them from the IRS, who gets them from the Bureau of Labor Statistics), the average cost of food, clothing and miscellaneous is lower for a family of two than it was a year ago.  And, that makes no sense at all, but there it is.  

Here’s the Means Test National Standards

National Standards cover five necessary expenses: food, housekeeping supplies, apparel and services, personal care products and services, and miscellaneous.                 

                  Family Size      May 2023      May 2022    Change  

                  Family of 1        $841               $785          $+56         

                  Family of 2       $1389             $1410         $-21

                  Family of 3       $1700             $1610         $+90

                  Family of 4       $1993             $1900         $+93

Date of these adjustments

These adjustments for the bankruptcy means test are posted usually April 1 and then reposted May 15.  But, it was today, May 15, 2023 that I first noticed the adjustment for a family of two went the wrong way.