Property & exemptions
Illinois bankruptcy exemptions
Verified Illinois exemptions — 11 categories below, each quoted from the statute that states it. A category not listed is one we have not published for Illinois, not a finding that Illinois law is silent on it.
Which exemption list applies in Illinois
Illinois law, for filers Illinois law governs. Illinois has opted out of the federal exemption set, so a filer whose applicable exemption law is Illinois’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.
Homestead — your home
- Illinois homestead$50,000
Effective January 1, 2026. Each individual is limited to $50,000; if two or more individuals own the homestead, each proportionate share is subject to a $100,000 aggregate ceiling.
Motor vehicle
- Illinois one-motor-vehicle exemption$3,600
Applies to the debtor's interest in one motor vehicle.
Wildcard and general personal property
- Illinois other-property exemption$4,000
The $4,000 equity amount includes the separate $1,000 automatic deposit-account exemption under § 12-1001.1.
Household goods and furnishings
- Illinois household goods and personal possessionsNo single dollar figure — see the rule
The provision broadly lists household goods and personal possessions; items over the stated resale threshold may be reached only with court permission unless another exemption applies.
Life insurance and annuities
Illinois publishes more than one current amount here. Which applies depends on your circumstances — compare the conditions below rather than assuming the largest.
- Illinois qualifying life-insurance and annuity interestsNo dollar limit stated
Covers death proceeds and aggregate net cash value of qualifying life-insurance, endowment, and annuity contracts.
- Illinois dependent life-insurance paymentNo single dollar figure — see the rule
The reasonably necessary support limitation and subsection (h)'s timing and traceability limits apply.
Public benefits
Illinois publishes more than one current amount here. Which applies depends on your circumstances — compare the conditions below rather than assuming the largest.
- Illinois veterans' benefit rightNo dollar limit stated
Applies to the debtor's right to receive a veterans' benefit.
- Illinois social-security, unemployment, and public-assistance benefit rightsNo dollar limit stated
Applies to the debtor's right to receive the listed benefit.
- Illinois disability, illness, or unemployment benefit rightNo dollar limit stated
Applies to the debtor's right to receive the listed benefit.
- Illinois workers' compensationNo dollar limit stated
Covers payments, claims, awards, and decisions under the Workers' Compensation Act, subject to the stated pension-beneficiary exception.
- Illinois qualifying public-aid and child-care paymentsNo dollar limit stated
Covers the listed financial aid and child-care-provider payments, subject to § 11-3's express exceptions.
- Illinois occupational-disease compensationNo dollar limit stated
Covers payments, claims, awards, and decisions under the Workers' Occupational Diseases Act.
Tools of the trade
- Illinois tools-of-trade exemption$2,250
Applies to implements, professional books, or tools of the debtor's trade.
Personal-injury recoveries
Illinois publishes more than one current amount here. Which applies depends on your circumstances — compare the conditions below rather than assuming the largest.
- Illinois dependent wrongful-death paymentNo single dollar figure — see the rule
The reasonably necessary support limitation and subsection (h)'s timing and traceability limits apply.
- Illinois personal bodily-injury payment$22,500
Applies to injury of the debtor or a person on whom the debtor was dependent, subject to subsection (h)'s timing and traceability limits.
Health aids
- Illinois professionally prescribed health aidsNo dollar limit stated
No dollar cap is stated for qualifying prescribed health aids.
Jewelry
- Illinois one-piece jewelry exemption$5,000
Applies to one piece of jewelry.
Other published exemptions
Illinois publishes more than one current amount here. Which applies depends on your circumstances — compare the conditions below rather than assuming the largest.
- Illinois alimony, support, or separate-maintenance rightNo single dollar figure — see the rule
The exemption applies only to the reasonably necessary support extent.
- Illinois crime-victim reparation awardNo single dollar figure — see the rule
The subsection's general timing and traceability limitations apply.
- Illinois College Savings Pool and ABLE accountsNo single dollar figure — see the rule
The statute excludes specified intentionally fraudulent and excess lookback-period contributions.
- Illinois federal civil-liberties restitution paymentsNo single dollar figure — see the rule
Covers payments under the two federal restitution acts identified by the statute, subject to subsection (h)'s timing and traceability limits.
- Illinois Code crime-victims awardNo dollar limit stated
Applies to an award under Part 20 of Article II of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure.
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.
Turn this into a plan for your exact situation, state, and court.
See My Debt Relief Options→