Property & exemptions
Texas bankruptcy exemptions
Verified Texas exemptions — 9 categories below, each quoted from the statute that states it. A category not listed is one we have not published for Texas, not a finding that Texas law is silent on it.
Which exemption list applies in Texas
Not published yet. Whether Texas lets you choose the federal exemptions under 11 U.S.C. § 522(d), or limits you to Texas law, is the fact that decides which list applies to everything you own — so we are not going to guess at it here.
This page is still being completed
Texas 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
- Texas homestead — no fixed dollar capNo dollar limit stated
No fixed dollar cap under Texas law. The protected homestead is limited by use and acreage: up to 10 urban acres; up to 200 rural acres for a family or 100 rural acres for a single adult. Federal bankruptcy limitations, including 11 U.S.C. § 522(p) and (q), may still apply.
Motor vehicle
- Texas motor vehicle — one per eligible personNo single dollar figure — see the rule
One two-, three-, or four-wheeled motor vehicle for each family member or single adult who is licensed, or who relies on another person to operate it for that person's benefit. The vehicle remains within the applicable § 42.001 aggregate cap.
Wages and earnings
- Texas current wages for personal servicesNo dollar limit stated
No fixed dollar cap; court-ordered child support and spousal maintenance are express exceptions.
Retirement accounts and pensions
- Texas qualified savings-plan interests and paymentsNo dollar limit stated
Applies to interests in and rights to payments from qualified savings plans, subject to the statutory exclusions and post-distribution rules in § 42.0021(d)–(g).
Life insurance and annuities
- Texas qualifying insurance and annuity benefitsNo dollar limit stated
Includes covered benefits, cash value, and proceeds; subject to the exceptions in Tex. Ins. Code § 1108.053.
Public benefits
Texas publishes more than one current amount here. Which applies depends on your circumstances — compare the conditions below rather than assuming the largest.
- Texas medical-assistance paymentsNo dollar limit stated
Protection is subject to the express federal-law conflict limitation in § 32.036(c).
- Texas unemployment benefitsNo dollar limit stated
The right to benefits is protected; received benefits remain protected when not commingled, subject to the necessaries and conflict provisions in § 207.075.
- Texas workers' compensation benefitsNo dollar limit stated
Workers' compensation benefits are exempt from garnishment, attachment, judgment, and other actions or claims.
- Texas Chapter 31 financial assistanceNo dollar limit stated
The right to assistance may not be transferred or assigned, and the funds are protected from legal process and insolvency law.
Health aids
- Texas professionally prescribed health aidsNo dollar limit stated
Professionally prescribed health aids of the debtor or a dependent are outside the personal-property aggregate caps.
Jewelry
- Texas jewelry — 25% of personal-property aggregateNo single dollar figure — see the rule
Jewelry may not exceed 25% of the applicable § 42.001 aggregate limitation; the resulting ceiling depends on family status.
Other published exemptions
Texas publishes more than one current amount here. Which applies depends on your circumstances — compare the conditions below rather than assuming the largest.
- Texas personal property aggregate — family$100,000
Aggregate ceiling for the types of personal property described in Tex. Prop. Code § 42.002 when the property is provided for a family.
- Texas personal property aggregate — single adult$50,000
Aggregate ceiling for the types of personal property described in Tex. Prop. Code § 42.002 when owned by a single adult who is not a member of a family.
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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