Property & exemptions
Pennsylvania bankruptcy exemptions
Verified Pennsylvania exemptions — 12 categories below, each quoted from the statute that states it. A category not listed is one we have not published for Pennsylvania, not a finding that Pennsylvania law is silent on it.
Which exemption list applies in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania law or the federal list. Pennsylvania has not withdrawn the federal set, so a filer may generally choose either the Pennsylvania exemptions or those in 11 U.S.C. § 522(d) — one list or the other, not the better half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
Pennsylvania is held pending a recorded completeness blocker. 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
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania 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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