Bankruptcy in Alaska
In Alaska you use state exemptions only (exemptions are the property the law lets you keep). Your home (homestead): $72,900 in your principal residence.
You file in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Alaska.
Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026. · Free letter and checklist ↓
What you can keep in Alaska
Exemptions are the property the law lets you keep. You use the Alaska list. The federal list is not available in Alaska.
Law: AS 09.38.055
| What | Alaska exemption |
|---|---|
Home (homestead) | $72,900 in your principal residence. This is a cap per home, not per person: if several owners live there, together they cannot exempt more than $72,900, each up to their share. In 2026 the Department of Labor and Workforce Development proposed raising it to $83,700; until a new regulation is in effect, $72,900 applies. Law: AS 09.38.010; AS 8 AAC 95.030(a) |
Car or other vehicle | $4,050 in one motor vehicle, but only if the vehicle's full value is $27,000 or less. Law: AS 09.38.020(e); AS 8 AAC 95.030(b)(5)-(6) |
Household goods and clothing | $4,050 total for household goods and clothing for one household, books, musical instruments, family portraits and heirlooms. Separately: jewelry up to $1,350 and pets up to $1,350. Law: AS 09.38.020(a), (b), (d); AS 8 AAC 95.030(b)(1), (2), (4) |
Tools of your trade | $3,780 in tools, implements and professional books of your trade. Law: AS 09.38.020(c); AS 8 AAC 95.030(b)(3) |
Wages | $473 of weekly net earnings is exempt. If you are not paid weekly, semi-monthly or monthly, $1,890 a month of cash and other liquid assets is exempt instead. Law: AS 09.38.030(a)-(b); AS 09.38.055; AS 8 AAC 95.030(d) |
Retirement accounts | Your interest in retirement plans and IRAs, and payments from them, are exempt, but money you put into a retirement plan in the 120 days before filing bankruptcy is not. Law: AS 09.38.017 |
Public benefits | Benefits exempt under federal law (such as Social Security), medical benefits used for care, longevity bonus, and crime victim awards are exempt. Disability, illness and unemployment benefits you have received are treated as earnings and protected up to the wage limits above. Law: AS 09.38.015(a)(3)-(6); AS 09.38.030(e) |
Other exemptions |
Law: AS 09.38.015(a)(1); AS 09.38.025; 8 AAC 95.030(c); AS 09.38.015(a)(8); AS 09.38.015(a)(9) |
Amounts: Amounts in 8 AAC 95.030 as currently published on the Alaska Legislature's Administrative Code site (regulation history: last amended 4/4/2013, Register 206). AS 09.38.115 changes amounts on October 1 of even-numbered years. A 2026 proposed amendment (comment deadline Aug 24, 2026) would raise them: homestead $83,700, vehicle $4,650 with $31,000 value limit, personal property $4,650, jewelry/pets $1,550, tools $4,340, life insurance $502,500, wages $543/week, liquid assets $2,370/month.
The means test in Alaska: first step
Official Form 122A-1 compares your household's yearly income with the median income in Alaska. Here are the official medians:
- 1 person$85,817
- 2 people$112,548
- 3 people$112,548
- 4 people$142,136
- Each extra person+$11,100
Applies to cases filed on or after April 1, 2026. 1 = one earner; 2, 3, 4 = people in the household; add = amount added for each person over 4
Where to file in Alaska
You file in the federal bankruptcy district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the 180 days before filing. Alaska is one district with one court office in Anchorage: https://www.akb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations/.
Law: 28 U.S.C. 1408
Divisions: Anchorage (one office for the whole state)
Clerk's phone: (907) 271-2655, toll free (800) 859-8059
Free help in Alaska
Free letter and checklist
Letter: tell a creditor you filed bankruptcy
Notice to a creditor or debt collector with your case number, court, filing date and chapter.
Checklist: what to gather before you file
Income, tax returns, debts, property and budget papers the federal forms ask about, with Alaska's courts.
Bankruptcy in Alaska by topic
Exemptions in Alaska
Home, car, household goods, wildcard and more, with the law for each.
The means test in Alaska
The official median income and the first-step check.
Where to file in Alaska
The bankruptcy courts, divisions, fees and the 341 meeting.
Good to know in Alaska
- In bankruptcy, only some Alaska exemptions apply: AS 09.38.010, 09.38.015(a), 09.38.017, 09.38.020, 09.38.025 and 09.38.030.
Law: AS 09.38.055; for example 09.38.015(b)
- The dollar amounts written in the statute are lower than the amounts that apply; the current amounts are set by regulation 8 AAC 95.030.
Law: AS 09.38.115
- The vehicle exemption is lost entirely if the car's full value is over the value limit ($27,000 under the current regulation).
Law: AS 09.38.020(e)
Changes in 2024–2026
In 2026 the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development proposed raising all 8 AAC 95.030 amounts (homestead from $72,900 to $83,700). As of late October 2026 the officially published regulation still shows the older amounts.
Questions about bankruptcy in Alaska
Can I use the federal bankruptcy exemptions in Alaska?
No. Alaska requires you to use the state exemptions.
What is the homestead exemption in Alaska?
$72,900 in your principal residence.
How much of a car can I keep in bankruptcy in Alaska?
$4,050 in one motor vehicle, but only if the vehicle's full value is $27,000 or less.
What household goods can I keep in Alaska?
$4,050 total for household goods and clothing for one household, books, musical instruments, family portraits and heirlooms. Separately: jewelry up to $1,350 and pets up to $1,350.
Are retirement accounts protected in bankruptcy in Alaska?
Your interest in retirement plans and IRAs, and payments from them, are exempt, but money you put into a retirement plan in the 120 days before filing bankruptcy is not.
Are my wages protected in Alaska?
$473 of weekly net earnings is exempt. If you are not paid weekly, semi-monthly or monthly, $1,890 a month of cash and other liquid assets is exempt instead.
Where do I file bankruptcy in Alaska?
You file in the federal bankruptcy district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the 180 days before filing. Alaska is one district with one court office in Anchorage: https://www.akb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations/.
What is the median income for the means test in Alaska?
For cases filed on or after April 1, 2026: 1 person: $85,817; 2 people: $112,548; 3 people: $112,548; 4 people: $142,136; Each extra person: +$11,100.
Where can I get free help with bankruptcy in Alaska?
Alaska Legal Services Corporation and Alaska Court System Self-Help Center.