4XH Logistics, a freight and delivery company serving the San Antonio area, has announced plans to lay off 230 employees between November 6 and November 19, according to a notice filed with the Texas Workforce Commission and reported by KENS 5. The job losses come as unemployment in the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area reached 4.7 percent in July, up from 3.8 percent in April, according to preliminary Bureau of Labor Statistics figures. For the affected workers, many of whom may carry credit card balances and other debts, the timing of a bankruptcy filing could determine whether they qualify for Chapter 7 liquidation or must instead pursue a Chapter 13 repayment plan.
Under the federal means test, eligibility for Chapter 7 bankruptcy is based on a debtor's current monthly income, which is calculated by averaging income from nearly all sources over the six full calendar months before the month of filing. This means that wages received before a layoff remain in the calculation until their corresponding month drops out of the six-month window. For example, a final paycheck received in November 2026 would still count in any bankruptcy case filed through May 2027. The average is then multiplied by 12 and compared to the Texas median family income for the same household size. A filer whose income is at or below the median passes the means test without further calculation, while a filer above the median must complete a second calculation that subtracts allowed living expenses. Depending on the result, that second calculation may steer the filer toward a Chapter 13 repayment plan instead of Chapter 7.
According to Leinart Law Firm, a San Antonio-based bankruptcy practice, workers who have been laid off should review the timing of any filing well before their last day on the job. A bankruptcy lawyer in San Antonio, TX can demonstrate how recent wages affect Chapter 7 eligibility, particularly when a person's income may have been above the median before the layoff but would fall below it after several months without work. Waiting for higher-income months to leave the six-month window is not always practical, however. A creditor lawsuit, a scheduled foreclosure sale, or a repossession can make an earlier filing the better choice because the automatic stay halts most collection activity on filing.
"A layoff changes a household's finances right away, but the means test reflects that change gradually over six months," said Marcus Leinart, founder of Leinart Law Firm. "We review each month in that window with a client so the filing date accounts for both the income calculation and what creditors are already doing." The firm advises individuals carrying credit card debt and other balances to consider how a Chapter 7 filing could discharge unsecured debts, while a Chapter 13 case would require a repayment plan over three to five years. For the 230 workers facing unemployment, the key takeaway is that the six-month lookback can delay the full financial impact of a layoff from appearing in the means test, making professional guidance on filing timing essential.
