Bankruptcy in Maine
In Maine you use state exemptions only (exemptions are the property the law lets you keep). Your home (homestead): $94,300 in your home (or co-op, or a burial plot).
You file in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maine.
Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026. · Free letter and checklist ↓
What you can keep in Maine
Exemptions are the property the law lets you keep. You use the Maine list. The federal list is not available in Maine.
Law: 14 M.R.S. 4426
| What | Maine exemption |
|---|---|
Home (homestead) | $94,300 in your home (or co-op, or a burial plot). $188,550 if minor dependents live with you, or if you or a dependent are 60 or older or disabled and unable to work. If you own the home jointly with someone else, your exemption is the lower of the basic amount ($94,300, or $188,550 if 60+/disabled) or your ownership share times $188,550 ($282,800 if 60+/disabled). Money from selling an exempt home stays exempt for 12 months if you plan to buy another home. The exemption does not apply to judgments for torts beyond ordinary negligence, or against mortgages on the home. Law: 14 M.R.S. 4422(1); 14 M.R.S. 4425(1); Me. Sup. Jud. Ct. Admin. Order JB-24-02 |
Car or other vehicle | $11,800 in one motor vehicle Law: 14 M.R.S. 4422(2); Admin. Order JB-24-02 |
Household goods and clothing | $600 per item for household furnishings and goods, clothing, appliances, books, animals, crops and musical instruments (no total cap). Jewelry up to $1,200 total, plus wedding and engagement rings up to $4,750. One cooking stove, all heating stoves and furnaces, and limited heating and cooking fuel. Food for 6 months. Law: 14 M.R.S. 4422(3)-(4), (6)-(7); Admin. Order JB-24-02 |
Wildcard (any property) | $600 in any property, plus up to $12,400 of your unused homestead exemption for household goods, tools of the trade and personal injury payments. Separately, up to $3,550 in cash and bank accounts. Law: 14 M.R.S. 4422(15)-(17); Admin. Order JB-24-02 |
Tools of your trade | $11,200 total for tools, implements, professional books and work materials. Also one of each farm implement or professional logging implement you need, and one commercial fishing boat up to 46 feet. Law: 14 M.R.S. 4422(5), (8)-(9-A); Admin. Order JB-24-02 |
Wages | Outside bankruptcy, a court installment order can take no more than the least of 25% of your weekly take-home pay, the amount above 40 times the federal or Maine minimum hourly wage (whichever is higher), or your total disposable earnings. Law: 14 M.R.S. 3126-A(3) |
Retirement accounts | Tax-exempt retirement accounts (401, 403, 408 IRAs, 408A Roth IRAs, 414, 457 plans) are exempt up to $1,242,600 total, except contributions made within 120 days before filing and amounts needed for child or spousal support. Pension and similar payments you need for support are also exempt. Law: 14 M.R.S. 4422(13)(E), (13-A); Admin. Order JB-24-02 |
Public benefits | Social Security, unemployment, public assistance (including federal earned income tax credit and child tax credit refunds), veterans' benefits, and disability or illness benefits are exempt. Workers' compensation cannot be attached (except for child support or general assistance reimbursement). Law: 14 M.R.S. 4422(13)(A)-(C); 39-A M.R.S. 106 |
Other exemptions |
Law: 14 M.R.S. 4422(13)(D) |
Amounts: October 24, 2024 (Maine Supreme Judicial Court Administrative Order JB-24-02, 3-year CPI adjustment). Under 14 M.R.S. 4422 the next 3-year adjustment is due for April 1, 2027.
The means test in Maine: first step
Official Form 122A-1 compares your household's yearly income with the median income in Maine. Here are the official medians:
- 1 person$75,892
- 2 people$90,445
- 3 people$106,822
- 4 people$131,577
- 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 Maine
You file in the federal district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the last 180 days. All of Maine is one district; your county decides whether your case goes to the Portland or Bangor office (https://www.meb.uscourts.gov/case-assignment).
Law: 28 U.S.C. 1408
Divisions: Portland (Androscoggin, Cumberland, Oxford, Sagadahoc, York counties); Bangor (Aroostook, Franklin, Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, Waldo, Washington counties)
Clerk's phone: (207) 780-3482 (Portland); (207) 945-0348 (Bangor)
Free help in Maine
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 Maine's courts.
Bankruptcy in Maine by topic
Exemptions in Maine
Home, car, household goods, wildcard and more, with the law for each.
The means test in Maine
The official median income and the first-step check.
Where to file in Maine
The bankruptcy courts, divisions, fees and the 341 meeting.
Good to know in Maine
- Maine exemption amounts are adjusted for inflation every 3 years by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. The amounts in the statute ($80,000 home, $10,000 car, and so on) are out of date; use the adjusted amounts in Administrative Order JB-24-02.
Law: 14 M.R.S. 4422
- Maine filers must use Maine exemptions, but a filer who is 60 or older or disabled (or has such a dependent) may claim the higher $188,550 home exemption in bankruptcy.
Law: 14 M.R.S. 4426
- Outside bankruptcy, Maine law now protects your main home from attachment for medical debt.
Law: 14 M.R.S. 4422(1)(F), added in 2025
Changes in 2024–2026
Administrative Order JB-24-02, effective October 24, 2024, raised all 14 M.R.S. 4422 amounts (e.g. home $80,000 -> $94,300; $160,000 -> $188,550; vehicle $10,000 -> $11,800; cash $3,000 -> $3,550; retirement cap $1,054,550 -> $1,242,600). P.L. 2025, c. 649 added the medical-debt protection for a principal residence (4422(1)(F)) and amended 4422(1)(E); P.L. 2025, c.
Law: 655 amended 14 M.R.S. 4426
Questions about bankruptcy in Maine
Can I use the federal bankruptcy exemptions in Maine?
No. Maine requires you to use the state exemptions.
What is the homestead exemption in Maine?
$94,300 in your home (or co-op, or a burial plot). $188,550 if minor dependents live with you, or if you or a dependent are 60 or older or disabled and unable to work.
How much of a car can I keep in bankruptcy in Maine?
$11,800 in one motor vehicle
Does Maine have a wildcard exemption?
$600 in any property, plus up to $12,400 of your unused homestead exemption for household goods, tools of the trade and personal injury payments. Separately, up to $3,550 in cash and bank accounts.
What household goods can I keep in Maine?
$600 per item for household furnishings and goods, clothing, appliances, books, animals, crops and musical instruments (no total cap). Jewelry up to $1,200 total, plus wedding and engagement rings up to $4,750. One cooking stove, all heating stoves and furnaces, and limited heating and cooking fuel. Food for 6 months.
Are retirement accounts protected in bankruptcy in Maine?
Tax-exempt retirement accounts (401, 403, 408 IRAs, 408A Roth IRAs, 414, 457 plans) are exempt up to $1,242,600 total, except contributions made within 120 days before filing and amounts needed for child or spousal support. Pension and similar payments you need for support are also exempt.
Are my wages protected in Maine?
Outside bankruptcy, a court installment order can take no more than the least of 25% of your weekly take-home pay, the amount above 40 times the federal or Maine minimum hourly wage (whichever is higher), or your total disposable earnings.
Where do I file bankruptcy in Maine?
You file in the federal district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the last 180 days. All of Maine is one district; your county decides whether your case goes to the Portland or Bangor office (https://www.meb.uscourts.gov/case-assignment).
What is the median income for the means test in Maine?
For cases filed on or after April 1, 2026: 1 person: $75,892; 2 people: $90,445; 3 people: $106,822; 4 people: $131,577; Each extra person: +$11,100.
Where can I get free help with bankruptcy in Maine?
Pine Tree Legal Assistance (HelpMeLaw.org), Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project and Legal Services for Maine Elders (age 60+).