Wildcard Exemptions by State (2026)
States with a wildcard exemption that can protect any property, and the amount.
| State | Wildcard exemption |
|---|---|
| Alabama | The court's Alabama exemption table lists a general "Personal property" exemption of $9,400 (effective April 1, 2024; previously $8,225 from 4/1/21). U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Ala., Alabama exemption amounts table |
| Alaska | None. The exemptions that apply in bankruptcy (AS 09.38.010-.030) do not include a general exemption for property of the filer's choosing; the personal property exemptions in AS 09.38.020 are limited to specific categories (household goods, jewelry, tools of the trade, pets, one vehicle). AS 09.38.055; AS 09.38.020 |
| Arizona | None. Arizona's exemption statutes list specific property types; no general exemption for property of the filer's choosing was found in A.R.S. 33-1125 or 33-1126. A.R.S. 33-1125, 33-1126 |
| Arkansas | Personal property of the filer's choosing (in addition to clothing): up to $500 for a married person or head of a family, or $200 for an unmarried person who is not a head of family (Ark. Const. art. 9, §§ 1-2). Ark. Code Ann. 16-66-218(b)(1)-(2); Ark. Const. art. 9, §§ 1-2 |
| California | Only in the alternative 703.140(b) system: $1,950 in any property, plus any unused part of the $36,750 residence exemption (effective April 1, 2025). The regular system has no general wildcard. Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 703.140(b)(5); Judicial Council form EJ-156 (rev. July 20, 2026) |
| Colorado | None. Colorado's exemption list (C.R.S. 13-54-102) covers specific property types; it has no general exemption for property of the filer's choosing. C.R.S. 13-54-102(1) |
| Connecticut | Any property, up to $1,000 in value. Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-352b(18) |
| Delaware | Personal property and/or equity in real property other than the principal residence, with an aggregate fair market value of up to $25,000 per debtor. 10 Del. C. § 4914(b), (d) |
| District of Columbia | Any property up to $850, plus up to $8,075 of any unused amount of the residence exemption in paragraph (14). D.C. Code § 15-501(a)(3) |
| Florida | Personal property up to $1,000 under the Florida Constitution; plus up to $4,000 in personal property if the debtor does not claim or receive the benefit of the constitutional homestead exemption (not available against child or spousal support debts). Fla. Const. art. X, § 4(a)(2); Fla. Stat. 222.25(4) |
| Georgia | Any property up to $1,200, plus up to $10,000 of any unused homestead exemption. O.C.G.A. 44-13-100(a)(6) |
| Hawaii | None. Hawaii's exemption statutes (HRS ch. 651) list specific property types; no general exemption for property of the filer's choosing was found. HRS §§ 651-92, 651-121 |
| Idaho | Any tangible personal property, up to $1,500 in aggregate value. Idaho Code § 11-605(10) |
| Illinois | Equity in any other property up to $4,000, of which $1,000 is an automatic exemption under 735 ILCS 5/12-1001.1. 735 ILCS 5/12-1001(b) (as amended by P.A. 104-120, eff. 1-1-26) |
| Indiana | Indiana's exemption amounts include $12,100 for "Other real estate or tangible property" and $450 for "Intangible personal property" (the Small Claims Manual describes these as tangible personal property up to $12,100 and intangible personal property up to $450). IC 34-55-10-2(c)(2)-(3); 750 IAC 1-1-1(c); Indiana Small Claims Manual (updated 12/23/2025) |
| Iowa | Up to $1,000 in total in cash, bank or credit union deposits, or any other personal property, whether or not otherwise exempt. Iowa Code § 627.6(14) |
| Kansas | None. Kansas's personal property exemptions (K.S.A. 60-2304) cover specific property types; no general exemption for property of the filer's choosing was found. K.S.A. 60-2304 |
| Kentucky | In bankruptcy only: a general exemption of up to $1,000 that can be applied to any real or personal, tangible or intangible property. KRS 427.160 |
| Louisiana | None. Louisiana's exemption list (La. R.S. 13:3881(A)) covers specific property types; no general exemption for property of the filer's choosing was found. La. R.S. 13:3881(A) |
| Maine | Any property: statute $500, adjusted to $600; plus up to $10,500 of unused residence exemption (adjusted to $12,400), usable only for household goods, tools of the trade and certain personal injury payments (subsections 3, 5 and 14(D)). Separately, cash and bank accounts up to $3,000 (adjusted to $3,550). 14 M.R.S. § 4422(15)-(17); SJC Administrative Order JB-24-02 |
| Maryland | Cash or property of any kind up to $6,000 (combined cap with the $500 automatic deposit-account exemption), plus, in bankruptcy only, personal property up to $5,000. Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 11-504(b)(6), (f)(1)(i)1 |
| Massachusetts | Any personal property up to $1,000, plus up to $5,000 of any unused amount of the household furniture (Second), tools/equipment (Fifth) and automobile (Sixteenth) exemptions. M.G.L. c. 235, § 34, cl. Seventeenth |
| Michigan | None. Michigan's bankruptcy exemption list (MCL 600.5451) has no general exemption for property of the filer's choosing. MCL 600.5451(1) |
| Minnesota | In a bankruptcy, any property (including bank funds) up to $1,650 (effective July 1, 2026; statute base $1,500). Minn. Stat. § 550.37, subd. 28; Minnesota Department of Commerce adjustment effective July 1, 2026 |
| Mississippi | The $10,000 tangible personal property exemption lets the debtor choose among the listed categories (including cash on hand). A Mississippi resident 70 or older may also exempt an additional $50,000 in property of any type. Miss. Code Ann. § 85-3-1(a), (h) |
| Missouri | Until December 31, 2026: any other property up to $600 (rising to $1,700 from January 1, 2027). In addition, a head of a family may exempt any other property up to $1,250 plus $350 for each unmarried dependent child under 21 (or disabled dependent). RSMo 513.430.1(3); 513.440 |
| Montana | Montana's execution exemption statutes do not include a general wildcard exemption for any property. Personal property exemptions are limited to listed categories, such as household goods and similar items (up to $7,000 total, $1,250 per item), one motor vehicle ($4,000), and tools of the trade ($4,500). Mont. Code Ann. §§ 25-13-608, 25-13-609 |
| Nebraska | Each Nebraska resident may exempt personal property of any kind other than wages, up to $5,970 for 2023 through 2027 (the statute states $5,000, adjusted every five years by the Department of Revenue). The debtor lists the property owned and selects which items to claim. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-1552; Nebraska Department of Revenue, Revenue Ruling 2023-1 |
| Nevada | Any personal property not otherwise exempt, including equity in any property, money, stocks, bonds or funds on deposit with a financial institution, up to $10,000 in total value, selected by the debtor. NRS 21.090(1)(z) |
| New Hampshire | The debtor's interest in any property up to $1,000, plus up to $7,000 of any unused amount of the exemptions for household furniture, provisions and fuel, books, tools of the trade, the automobile, and jewelry. RSA 511:2, XVIII |
| New Jersey | Goods and chattels, shares of stock or corporate interests, and personal property of every kind up to $1,000 in value, plus all wearing apparel, are exempt from execution. This does not protect property against a judgment for its own purchase price, or against tax collection. Separately, household goods and furniture up to $1,000 are exempt from attachment. N.J.S.A. 2A:17-19; N.J.S.A. 2A:26-4 |
| New Mexico | Up to $15,000 in any personal property not otherwise listed, including money in bank or investment accounts and property worth more than the other exemption limits. The $2,400 cap on bank and investment accounts in this provision applies to lawsuits other than bankruptcy. A resident who does not own a homestead may also exempt $15,000 in real or personal property in lieu of the homestead exemption. NMSA 1978, § 42-10-1(A)(14); § 42-10-10 |
| New York | New York has no general wildcard exemption for any kind of property. Instead, a filer who does not claim the homestead exemption and has fully used the personal-property exemptions subject to the aggregate cap may also exempt cash (including bank deposits, savings bonds and tax refunds) up to the lesser of the unused part of that cap or a set amount. The statute's base figures are a $10,000 cap and $5,000 of cash; the Department of Financial Services lists the adjusted amounts as $13,625 and $6,825 effective April 1, 2024. Separately, if no homestead exemption is claimed, $1,325 of personal property, bank account or cash is exempt (base $1,000). N.Y. Debt. & Cred. Law § 283(1), (2); CPLR 5205(a)(9); NYDFS exemption adjustment effective April 1, 2024 |
| North Carolina | Up to $5,000 in any property, taken from any unused part of the residence (homestead) exemption. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1C-1601(a)(2) |
| North Dakota | North Dakota lets a head of a family choose up to $7,500 of other personal property of any kind, including money, as exempt; an unmarried person with no dependents may choose up to $3,750. A resident who does not claim the homestead may also claim up to $25,000 in lieu of the homestead exemption. N.D. Cent. Code §§ 28-22-03, 28-22-05, 28-22-03.1(1) |
| Ohio | $1,675 in any property, for April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2028. This exemption applies only in bankruptcy cases. Ohio Rev. Code § 2329.66(A)(18), (B); Ohio Judicial Conference exemption table |
| Oklahoma | The Oklahoma exemption list does not include a general wildcard exemption that can be applied to any property; each exemption covers a specific type of property. Okla. Stat. tit. 31, § 1(A) |
| Oregon | The debtor's interest in any personal property, up to $400 in value. This exemption cannot be used to increase the amount of any other exemption. Or. Rev. Stat. § 18.345(1)(p) |
| Pennsylvania | A general exemption of $300 in value applies to any property of the debtor, including money, bank notes, securities, real property, and debts owed to the debtor. The debtor may pick the specific items it covers or take it in cash from sale proceeds. It does not apply to judgments for support, for board for four weeks or less, for $100 or less in wages for manual labor, or in a mortgage foreclosure as to the mortgaged property. 42 Pa.C.S. § 8123 |
| Rhode Island | In addition to the other exemptions, a debtor in bankruptcy may exempt an additional $6,500 in any assets. R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-26-4(16) |
| South Carolina | The debtor may apply any unused amount of the exemptions in items (1) through (6) of the statute (homestead, vehicle, household goods, jewelry, cash and tools of the trade) to any property, up to a base amount of $5,000 in the statute. Under the inflation adjustment effective July 1, 2024, the amount was $7,600. S.C. Code Ann. § 15-41-30(A)(7), (B) |
| South Dakota | In addition to the absolute exemptions, a debtor may select any other personal property (goods, chattels, merchandise, money, or other personal property) up to seven thousand dollars in aggregate value if the head of a family, or five thousand dollars if not the head of a family. This allowance applies to personal property only, not real estate. SDCL 43-45-4 |
| Tennessee | A bona fide Tennessee resident may select personal property of the debtor's choosing, including money and funds on deposit in a bank or other financial institution, up to an aggregate of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) of the debtor's equity interest. Items bought or maintained with fraudulently obtained funds are not eligible. This applies to personal property only. Tenn. Code Ann. § 26-2-103 |
| Texas | Texas has no wildcard exemption. The personal property exemption covers only the categories listed in the statute (such as home furnishings, clothing, vehicles, tools of a trade, two firearms, certain animals, and pets), up to the $100,000 family or $50,000 single-adult aggregate cap; there is no general allowance for any property of the debtor's choice. Tex. Prop. Code §§ 42.001, 42.002 |
| Utah | Utah has no wildcard exemption. The Utah Exemptions Act (Utah Code §§ 78B-5-501 to 78B-5-513) lists specific types of property only and contains no general allowance for any property of the debtor's choice. Utah Code §§ 78B-5-503 to 78B-5-513 |
| Vermont | The debtor's interest in any property up to $400.00 in value, plus up to $7,000.00 of any unused amount of the exemptions for motor vehicles, tools of the trade, jewelry, household goods, and growing crops. 12 V.S.A. § 2740(7) |
| Virginia | A householder may exempt any real or personal property the householder selects, including money and debts owed to the householder, up to $5,000 in value, or up to $10,000 if the householder is 65 or older. A householder who supports dependents may exempt an additional $500 in value for each dependent. Va. Code § 34-4 |
| Washington | In a bankruptcy case, any other personal property (except wages) up to $10,000 in value, measured as of the date the bankruptcy petition is filed. Outside bankruptcy, the comparable exemption is limited to $3,000. RCW 6.15.010(1)(d)(ii) |
| West Virginia | A debtor may exempt up to $800 of interest in any property, plus any unused amount of the $35,000 residence exemption. W. Va. Code § 38-10-4(e) |
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.