Bankruptcy in Connecticut
In Connecticut you choose state or federal exemptions (exemptions are the property the law lets you keep). Your home (homestead): $250,000 of equity in your homestead (owner-occupied home, co-op or mobile manufactured home used as your primary residence), per person claiming it.
You file in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut.
Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026. · Free letter and checklist ↓
What you can keep in Connecticut
Exemptions are the property the law lets you keep. You pick one whole set: the Connecticut list or the federal list. You can't mix them.
Law: 11 U.S.C. 522(b)(1)-(2); 11 U.S.C. 522(d)
| What | Connecticut exemption | Federal exemption |
|---|---|---|
Home (homestead) | $250,000 of equity in your homestead (owner-occupied home, co-op or mobile manufactured home used as your primary residence), per person claiming it. Value is fair market value minus liens. Only $75,000 is protected against a judgment from a claim of sexual abuse or exploitation of a minor, sexual assault, or other willful, wanton or reckless misconduct. The $250,000 amount applies to bankruptcy cases filed on or after October 1, 2021. Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-352a(5), 52-352b(21) | $31,575 Law: 11 U.S.C. 522(d)(1) |
Car or other vehicle | Up to two motor vehicles, $7,000 total equity (value minus loans). Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-352b(10) | $5,025 Law: 11 U.S.C. 522(d)(2) |
Household goods and clothing | Necessary clothing, bedding, food, household furniture and appliances (no dollar cap; 'necessary' means reasonably required for you and your dependents). Wedding and engagement rings. Residential utility deposits and one security deposit. Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-352a(2), 52-352b(1), (11), (12) | Household goods: $800 per item, $16,850 total Jewelry for personal or family use: $2,125 Law: 11 U.S.C. 522(d)(3); 11 U.S.C. 522(d)(4) |
Wildcard (any property) | $1,000 in any property. Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-352b(18) | $1,675 plus up to $15,800 of any unused part of the (d)(1) homestead amount Law: 11 U.S.C. 522(d)(5) |
Tools of your trade | Tools, books, instruments, farm animals and livestock feed necessary for your occupation, profession or farming (no dollar cap). Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-352b(2) | $3,175 Law: 11 U.S.C. 522(d)(6) |
Wages | Wages are protected like in a wage execution: a creditor can take no more than the smaller of 25% of weekly disposable earnings or the amount above 40 times the higher of the federal or Connecticut minimum wage. Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-361a(f) | — |
Retirement accounts | Assets in and payments from retirement plans and arrangements described in 52-321a are exempt. Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-352b(13); Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-321a | No dollar limit (IRAs are capped under 522(n)) Money in traditional and Roth IRAs is protected up to $1,711,975 in total. Law: 11 U.S.C. 522(d)(12); 11 U.S.C. 522(n); 90 FR 8941 |
Public benefits | Public assistance payments, workers' compensation, Social Security, veterans' and unemployment benefits, and health and disability insurance payments are exempt. Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-352b(4), (5), (7) | Your right to receive Social Security, unemployment, public assistance, veterans' and disability benefits; alimony and support you reasonably need; and certain pension or annuity payments you reasonably need: No dollar limit (some only as much as you reasonably need) Your right to certain payments: crime victim awards, wrongful-death and life-insurance payments for someone you depended on, personal bodily injury payments (not pain and suffering or actual money losses), and payments for lost future earnings: Crime-victim awards: no limit. Personal injury payment: up to $31,575. Others: as much as you reasonably need Law: 11 U.S.C. 522(d)(10); 11 U.S.C. 522(d)(11) |
Other exemptions |
Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-352b(8), (14); Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-352b(19), (20); Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-352b(3); Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-352b(22) | An unmatured life insurance policy you own (not credit life insurance): No dollar limit Cash value of life insurance: $16,850 Health aids prescribed by a professional for you or a dependent: No dollar limit Law: 11 U.S.C. 522(d)(7); 11 U.S.C. 522(d)(8); 11 U.S.C. 522(d)(9) |
If you use your state's exemptions, you can protect no more than $214,000 of home equity that you acquired in the 1,215 days (about 3 years and 4 months) before you filed. Equity moved from an earlier home in the same state, bought before that period, does not count. The cap does not apply to a family farmer's main home.
Law: 11 U.S.C. 522(p); 90 FR 8941
Amounts: Connecticut General Statutes, chapter 906, as published by the Connecticut General Assembly (2025 revision; the 2026 Supplement changes no exemption section). Homestead last raised by P.A. 21-161 (effective October 1, 2021). Amounts are not indexed.
Federal amounts: Amounts in effect for cases filed on or after April 1, 2025 (next automatic adjustment due April 1, 2028)
Law: 11 U.S.C. 104; 90 FR 8941-8942
These amounts are per person. If a married couple files one joint case, each spouse can claim the federal exemptions separately.
The means test in Connecticut: first step
Official Form 122A-1 compares your household's yearly income with the median income in Connecticut. Here are the official medians:
- 1 person$84,302
- 2 people$106,224
- 3 people$134,470
- 4 people$159,934
- 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 Connecticut
You file in the federal bankruptcy district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the 180 days before filing. Connecticut is one district with offices in Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport: https://www.ctb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations.
Law: 28 U.S.C. 1408
Divisions: Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport
Clerk's phone: 860-240-3675 (Hartford)
Free help in Connecticut
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 Connecticut's courts.
Bankruptcy in Connecticut by topic
Exemptions in Connecticut
Home, car, household goods, wildcard and more, with the law for each.
The means test in Connecticut
The official median income and the first-step check.
Where to file in Connecticut
The bankruptcy courts, divisions, fees and the 341 meeting.
Good to know in Connecticut
- You can choose either the Connecticut exemptions or the federal exemptions; Connecticut has not opted out.
- The Connecticut Supreme Court held the $250,000 homestead applies in bankruptcy cases filed on or after October 1, 2021, regardless of when the debts arose.
Law: 347 Conn. 284, noted under Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-352b
- A mortgage or other consensual lien is not limited by the homestead exemption.
Questions about bankruptcy in Connecticut
Can I use the federal bankruptcy exemptions in Connecticut?
You can. Connecticut lets you choose the state exemptions or the federal exemptions in 11 U.S.C. 522(d). You must pick one whole set.
What is the homestead exemption in Connecticut?
$250,000 of equity in your homestead (owner-occupied home, co-op or mobile manufactured home used as your primary residence), per person claiming it.
How much of a car can I keep in bankruptcy in Connecticut?
Up to two motor vehicles, $7,000 total equity (value minus loans).
Does Connecticut have a wildcard exemption?
$1,000 in any property.
What household goods can I keep in Connecticut?
Necessary clothing, bedding, food, household furniture and appliances (no dollar cap; 'necessary' means reasonably required for you and your dependents). Wedding and engagement rings. Residential utility deposits and one security deposit.
Are retirement accounts protected in bankruptcy in Connecticut?
Assets in and payments from retirement plans and arrangements described in 52-321a are exempt.
Are my wages protected in Connecticut?
Wages are protected like in a wage execution: a creditor can take no more than the smaller of 25% of weekly disposable earnings or the amount above 40 times the higher of the federal or Connecticut minimum wage.
Where do I file bankruptcy in Connecticut?
You file in the federal bankruptcy district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the 180 days before filing. Connecticut is one district with offices in Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport: https://www.ctb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations.
What is the median income for the means test in Connecticut?
For cases filed on or after April 1, 2026: 1 person: $84,302; 2 people: $106,224; 3 people: $134,470; 4 people: $159,934; Each extra person: +$11,100.
Where can I get free help with bankruptcy in Connecticut?
Connecticut Bar Association Bankruptcy Pro Bono Program, Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut and CTLawHelp.org.