Bankruptcy in Louisiana

In Louisiana you use state exemptions only (exemptions are the property the law lets you keep). Your home (homestead): $35,000 in value of the home you own and live in, with the land and buildings: up to 5 acres inside a municipality or up to 200 acres outside one.

You file in one of 3 federal bankruptcy courts:

What can I keep?Do I pass the means test?Where do I file?Free help

Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026. · Free letter and checklist ↓

What you can keep in Louisiana

Exemptions are the property the law lets you keep. You use the Louisiana list. The federal list is not available in Louisiana.

Law: La. R.S. 13:3881(B)(1)

What	Louisiana exemption
Home (homestead)	$35,000 in value of the home you own and live in, with the land and buildings: up to 5 acres inside a municipality or up to 200 acres outside one Against debts that come directly from a catastrophic or terminal illness or injury (uninsured medical bills over $10,000 and more than half your average yearly income over the last 3 tax returns), the whole value of the home is protected. A married couple gets one homestead exemption, not one each. The exemption does not apply to the purchase price, mortgages, building or repair debts, taxes, and some other debts. The exemption continues for a surviving spouse or minor children. Law: La. R.S. 20:1
Car or other vehicle	$15,000 of equity in one motor vehicle for any purpose. If you are married or have a licensed-driver child in your household, a second vehicle with up to $15,000 equity. A vehicle adapted for a disability of you or your family: $20,000 of equity (one per household). If the disability-vehicle exemption applies to you, you cannot claim the second $15,000 vehicle, and no one can exempt more than two vehicles in total. Value is based on the JD Power Official Used Car Guide retail value. Law: La. R.S. 13:3881(A)(7)-(8)
Household goods and clothing	No dollar cap on listed household items: clothing, bedding, linens, dishes, non-sterling silverware, glassware, living room, bedroom and dining room furniture, stove, heating and cooling equipment, one sewing machine, therapy equipment, kitchen utensils, irons, washer, dryer, refrigerators and freezers, family portraits, musical instruments, pets, poultry and one cow. Firearms and ammunition up to $2,500 total. Wedding or engagement rings up to $5,000. Law: La. R.S. 13:3881(A)(4)-(5)
Tools of your trade	Tools, instruments and books you need for your trade or profession, and one utility trailer (no dollar cap in the statute) Law: La. R.S. 13:3881(A)(2)
Wages	75% of your weekly take-home pay is exempt, and never less than 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage per week. For child support only 50% is exempt, and for spousal support 60%. Law: La. R.S. 13:3881(A)(1)
Retirement accounts	Pensions, IRAs and Roth IRAs, 401(k)s and other tax-deferred plans, annuities, and health savings accounts (up to the IRS family-coverage contribution limit for the year) are exempt from all debts except alimony and child support. Contributions made less than one calendar year before filing are not exempt. Law: La. R.S. 13:3881(D)
Public benefits	Unemployment benefits (while not mixed with other money), workers' compensation and public assistance are exempt from creditors. Law: La. R.S. 23:1693(A); La. R.S. 23:1205(A); La. R.S. 46:111
Other exemptions	The federal earned income tax credit and the refundable part of the child tax credit are exempt, except from the Department of Revenue or for child support arrears. Life insurance proceeds and cash value are exempt, but if the policy was issued within 9 months before filing, cash value over $35,000 is not. Insurance money for damage to an exempt item or your homestead from a governor-declared disaster is exempt if kept in a separate escrow account. Law: La. R.S. 13:3881(A)(6); La. R.S. 22:912; La. R.S. 13:3881(A)(9); La. R.S. 20:1(A)(2)

Amounts: Vehicle amounts effective August 1, 2026; homestead $35,000 set by La. R.S. 20:1 (last amended 2009). Amounts are not indexed.

The means test in Louisiana: first step

Official Form 122A-1 compares your household's yearly income with the median income in Louisiana. Here are the official medians:

1 person$59,447
2 people$72,348
3 people$84,602
4 people$103,628
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 Louisiana

You file in the federal district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the last 180 days. Your parish decides the district: Eastern District parishes at https://www.laeb.uscourts.gov/parish-information; the Middle District is Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes (https://www.lamb.uscourts.gov/MiddleDistrictMap); all other parishes are in the Western District (offices listed at https://www.lawb.uscourts.gov/court-info/court-locations).

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1408; 28 U.S.C. 98

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

Divisions: New Orleans (13 parishes: Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington)

Clerk's phone: (504) 589-7878

Court's self-help page

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Louisiana

Divisions: Baton Rouge (Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana parishes)

Clerk's phone: 225-346-3333

Court's self-help page

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana

Divisions: Alexandria, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport

Clerk's phone: (318) 445-1890; toll free (866) 356-5221

Court's self-help page

Free help in Louisiana

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 Louisiana's courts.

Bankruptcy in Louisiana by topic

Exemptions in Louisiana

Home, car, household goods, wildcard and more, with the law for each.

The means test in Louisiana

The official median income and the first-step check.

Where to file in Louisiana

The bankruptcy courts, divisions, fees and the 341 meeting.

Good to know in Louisiana

Louisiana doubled its vehicle exemption from $7,500 to $15,000, allowed a second vehicle for married filers or households with a licensed-driver child, and raised the disability-adapted vehicle exemption to $20,000, effective August 1, 2026.
Law: Act 55 of 2026
The homestead exemption is $35,000, but it protects the home's full value against debts caused by a catastrophic or terminal illness or injury.
Law: La. R.S. 20:1(A)(2)-(3)
A homestead exemption can be waived in writing; a married owner's waiver generally needs the other spouse's signature and must be recorded in the parish mortgage records.
Law: La. R.S. 20:1(D)

Changes in 2024–2026

Act 55 of the 2026 Regular Session, effective August 1, 2026: vehicle exemption raised from $7,500 to $15,000 (JD Power value replaces NADA); second vehicle up to $15,000 allowed if married or a licensed-driver child is in the household; disability-adapted vehicle raised from $7,500 to $20,000; health savings accounts added to the retirement exemption in R.S. 13:3881(D).

Law: HB 135

Questions about bankruptcy in Louisiana

Can I use the federal bankruptcy exemptions in Louisiana?

No. Louisiana requires you to use the state exemptions.

What is the homestead exemption in Louisiana?

$35,000 in value of the home you own and live in, with the land and buildings: up to 5 acres inside a municipality or up to 200 acres outside one

How much of a car can I keep in bankruptcy in Louisiana?

$15,000 of equity in one motor vehicle for any purpose. If you are married or have a licensed-driver child in your household, a second vehicle with up to $15,000 equity. A vehicle adapted for a disability of you or your family: $20,000 of equity (one per household). If the disability-vehicle exemption applies to you, you cannot claim the second $15,000 vehicle, and no one can exempt more than two vehicles in total. Value is based on the JD Power Official Used Car Guide retail value.

What household goods can I keep in Louisiana?

No dollar cap on listed household items: clothing, bedding, linens, dishes, non-sterling silverware, glassware, living room, bedroom and dining room furniture, stove, heating and cooling equipment, one sewing machine, therapy equipment, kitchen utensils, irons, washer, dryer, refrigerators and freezers, family portraits, musical instruments, pets, poultry and one cow. Firearms and ammunition up to $2,500 total. Wedding or engagement rings up to $5,000.

Are retirement accounts protected in bankruptcy in Louisiana?

Pensions, IRAs and Roth IRAs, 401(k)s and other tax-deferred plans, annuities, and health savings accounts (up to the IRS family-coverage contribution limit for the year) are exempt from all debts except alimony and child support. Contributions made less than one calendar year before filing are not exempt.

Are my wages protected in Louisiana?

75% of your weekly take-home pay is exempt, and never less than 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage per week. For child support only 50% is exempt, and for spousal support 60%.

Where do I file bankruptcy in Louisiana?

What is the median income for the means test in Louisiana?

For cases filed on or after April 1, 2026: 1 person: $59,447; 2 people: $72,348; 3 people: $84,602; 4 people: $103,628; Each extra person: +$11,100.

Where can I get free help with bankruptcy in Louisiana?

Bankruptcy Self-Help Resource Center (The Pro Bono Project, New Orleans) - phone hotline first Friday of each month, 9 AM to noon, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (Chapters 7 and 13) and Southern University Bankruptcy Law Center (Chapter 7 only).