Property & exemptions
Alabama bankruptcy exemptions
Verified Alabama exemptions — 6 categories below, each quoted from the statute that states it. A category not listed is one we have not published for Alabama, not a finding that Alabama law is silent on it.
Which exemption list applies in Alabama
Alabama law, for filers Alabama law governs. Alabama has opted out of the federal exemption set, so a filer whose applicable exemption law is Alabama’s cannot instead choose the list in 11 U.S.C. § 522(d).
Which state’s exemption law applies to you is set by 11 U.S.C. § 522(b)(3)(A) from where you were domiciled during the periods it measures before filing — not simply where you live now. If a recent move means you are living in one state and governed by another’s list, this page may not be the one that applies to you. Where that rule would leave a filer with no exemptions at all, § 522(b)(3) permits the federal list.
This page is still being completed
Alabama has an open completeness question awaiting verification. We show what has been verified rather than filling the gap with something we have not checked — but treat what follows as partial.
Homestead — your home
Alabama publishes more than one current amount here. Which applies depends on your circumstances — compare the conditions below rather than assuming the largest.
- Alabama homestead — resident age 62+ or individual with disability$56,400
Limited to 160 acres. Each joint owner may claim separately to the same extent and value as an unmarried individual. Disability proof requirements are stated in subsection (b).
- Alabama ordinary homestead — 2024 adjustment$18,800
Current ordinary amount through March 31, 2027. The 160-acre limit and separate-joint-owner rule remain controlling.
Wildcard and general personal property
- Alabama personal-property exemption — 2024 adjustment$9,400
Current adjusted personal-property amount through March 31, 2027; the additional apparel, portraits, pictures, and family books remain separately protected.
Household goods and furnishings
- Alabama apparel, family portraits, and family booksNo dollar limit stated
Necessary and proper wearing apparel for the resident and family, all family portraits or pictures, and all books used in the family are additional to the adjusted personal-property dollar allowance.
Retirement accounts and pensions
- Alabama qualified-trust benefitsNo dollar limit stated
Protection is subject to the tax, domestic-relations, excess-contribution, criminal-restitution, distribution, death, and state-system provisions in § 19-3B-508(c)–(h).
Life insurance and annuities
- Alabama qualifying life-insurance proceeds and availsNo dollar limit stated
Protection applies to qualifying beneficiaries and assignees, subject to the statute's fraudulent-transfer and premium provisions.
Public benefits
Alabama publishes more than one current amount here. Which applies depends on your circumstances — compare the conditions below rather than assuming the largest.
- Alabama unemployment benefitsNo dollar limit stated
Rights to benefits are protected from debt-collection remedies, subject to exceptions provided by the chapter.
- Alabama workers' compensationNo dollar limit stated
Applies to compensation claims, awards, judgments, and agreements owned by an injured employee or dependent.
- Alabama public assistance to needy personsNo dollar limit stated
Paid and payable assistance is protected and does not pass to the bankruptcy trustee or another representative of creditors.
What these amounts do and do not mean
- An exemption protects your EQUITY — what the property is worth beyond what you still owe on it — not the item’s sticker price.
- More than one amount can apply in the same category. Where that is true the entries below are listed separately with the condition that selects each one; we do not pick for you.
- Federal limits can still apply on top of state law. 11 U.S.C. § 522(p) and (q) can cap a homestead claim for someone who moved recently or in specific circumstances.
- Which set of exemptions you may use depends on where you were domiciled during the period 11 U.S.C. § 522(b)(3)(A) measures, which is not always the state you live in today.
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