Property & exemptions
Arkansas bankruptcy exemptions
Verified Arkansas exemptions — 12 categories below, each quoted from the statute that states it. A category not listed is one we have not published for Arkansas, not a finding that Arkansas law is silent on it.
Which exemption list applies in Arkansas
Arkansas law or the federal list. Arkansas has not withdrawn the federal set, so a filer may generally choose either the Arkansas exemptions or those in 11 U.S.C. § 522(d) — one list or the other, not the better half of each.
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
Arkansas 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
- Federal residence, cooperative, or burial-plot exemption$31,575
Applies to a qualifying residence, cooperative, or burial plot. Section 522(p) is a distinct state-law homestead limitation and is not applied to this federal-election row.
11 U.S.C. § 522(d)(1); 90 Fed. Reg. 8941, corrected at 90 Fed. Reg. 10643
Motor vehicle
- Federal one-motor-vehicle exemption$5,025
Applies to the debtor's interest in one motor vehicle.
11 U.S.C. § 522(d)(2); 90 Fed. Reg. 8941, corrected at 90 Fed. Reg. 10643
Wildcard and general personal property
- Federal wildcard exemptionNo single dollar figure — see the rule
The available amount is $1,675 plus the unused portion of § 522(d)(1), capped at an additional $15,800. It is not an unconditional $17,475 exemption.
11 U.S.C. § 522(d)(5); 90 Fed. Reg. 8941, corrected at 90 Fed. Reg. 10643
Household goods and furnishings
- Federal household-goods exemptionNo single dollar figure — see the rule
Both limits apply: no more than $800 in any particular qualifying item and no more than $16,850 in aggregate.
11 U.S.C. § 522(d)(3); 90 Fed. Reg. 8941, corrected at 90 Fed. Reg. 10643
Retirement accounts and pensions
Arkansas publishes more than one current amount here. Which applies depends on your circumstances — compare the conditions below rather than assuming the largest.
- Federal tax-exempt retirement-fund exemption outside the § 522(n) IRA capNo dollar limit stated
This row excludes individual retirement accounts governed by the separately represented § 522(n) aggregate cap.
- Federal individual-retirement-account aggregate cap$1,711,975
The adjusted cap excludes qualifying rollover contributions and earnings; SEP and SIMPLE accounts are excluded, and a court may increase the amount in the interests of justice.
11 U.S.C. §§ 522(d)(12), 522(n); 90 Fed. Reg. 8941, corrected at 90 Fed. Reg. 10643
Life insurance and annuities
Arkansas publishes more than one current amount here. Which applies depends on your circumstances — compare the conditions below rather than assuming the largest.
- Federal unmatured life-insurance-contract exemptionNo dollar limit stated
The contract itself has no stated dollar cap when owned by the debtor, except for a credit life insurance contract.
- Federal unmatured life-insurance loan-value exemption$16,850
The $16,850 cap is reduced by estate property transferred as specified in 11 U.S.C. § 542(d); the reduction is preserved in structured form.
11 U.S.C. § 522(d)(8); 90 Fed. Reg. 8941, corrected at 90 Fed. Reg. 10643
Public benefits
Arkansas publishes more than one current amount here. Which applies depends on your circumstances — compare the conditions below rather than assuming the largest.
- Federal social-security, unemployment, and local-public-assistance benefit rightsNo dollar limit stated
No dollar or support-necessity limitation is stated in subparagraph (A).
- Federal veterans' benefit rightNo dollar limit stated
No dollar or support-necessity limitation is stated in subparagraph (B).
- Federal disability, illness, or unemployment benefit rightNo dollar limit stated
No dollar or support-necessity limitation is stated in subparagraph (C).
Tools of the trade
- Federal tools-of-trade exemption$3,175
Aggregate cap for implements, professional books, or tools of the trade.
11 U.S.C. § 522(d)(6); 90 Fed. Reg. 8941, corrected at 90 Fed. Reg. 10643
Personal-injury recoveries
- Federal personal bodily-injury payment exemption$31,575
Applies to the debtor's injury or the injury of a person on whom the debtor is dependent and preserves the statutory exclusions.
11 U.S.C. § 522(d)(11)(D); 90 Fed. Reg. 8941, corrected at 90 Fed. Reg. 10643
Health aids
- Federal professionally prescribed health-aids exemptionNo dollar limit stated
No dollar cap is stated for qualifying professionally prescribed health aids.
Jewelry
- Federal personal or household jewelry exemption$2,125
Aggregate cap for jewelry held primarily for personal, family, or household use.
11 U.S.C. § 522(d)(4); 90 Fed. Reg. 8941, corrected at 90 Fed. Reg. 10643
Other published exemptions
- Federal crime-victim reparation award exemptionNo dollar limit stated
Covers the right to receive, or property traceable to, a qualifying award.
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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