Chapter 7

Yes you require to be 2 months behind paying your bill to qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

if you owe close to 18,000 and that is just credit cards w/o fedaral and state taxs how much would a bankruptcy coct roughly???

Source: - debtkid.com/bankruptcy-how-much-does-it-cost
In addition to this you've to pay Attorney fees, which may be anything between $700 to $2000, depending upon the part of country you live in.

Since the BK Reform, many people don't qualify for a Chap 7...then they are required to file Chap 13. I would talk with a BK attorney first...many offer free consultations.

To know more on Chapter 13 bankruptcy please go through the following page: -
Chapter 13 Bankruptcy - See Alternatives

But I generally try to avoid bankruptcy because it affects your credit access potential for 7 long years. I prefer debt settlement over bankruptcy.