Bankruptcy exemptions in Nebraska: what you can keep
What property Nebraska law protects in bankruptcy, item by item.
Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026.
Short answer
In Nebraska you use state exemptions only (exemptions are the property the law lets you keep). Your home (homestead): $120,000 in value.
- Exemption system
- State exemptions only
- Car or other vehicle
- $5,970 in one motor vehicle (amount for 2023-2027)
- Wildcard (any property)
- $5,970 in any personal property except wages (amount for 2023-2027)
- Amounts
- Personal property, household goods, tools and vehicle amounts: adjusted by the Nebraska Department of Revenue for 2023 through 2027 (Revenue Ruling 2023-1, September 19, 2023); next adjustment due in 2028.
What Nebraska lets you keep
Exemptions are the property the law lets you keep. You use the Nebraska list. The federal list is not available in Nebraska.
Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-15,105
| What | Nebraska exemption |
|---|---|
Home (homestead) | $120,000 in value. The homestead is the house you live in, its outbuildings and the land under it: up to 160 acres outside a city or village, or up to two lots inside a city or village. The exemption belongs to each natural person living in Nebraska. You do not have to be the head of a family (that requirement was removed in 2024). Mechanics', laborers' and vendors' liens, and a mortgage or deed of trust on the home signed and acknowledged by the owner, can still be enforced against the home. Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. 40-101, 40-103 |
Car or other vehicle | $5,970 in one motor vehicle (amount for 2023-2027) Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-1556(1)(e), (2); Neb. Dept. of Revenue, Revenue Ruling 2023-1 |
Household goods and clothing | Your and your family's immediate personal possessions and all necessary clothing. Plus $3,582 total (amount for 2023-2027) in household furnishings, household goods, household computers, appliances, books or musical instruments used mainly for personal, family or household use. Health aids prescribed by a professional are also exempt. Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-1556(1)(a)-(c), (f), (2); Neb. Dept. of Revenue, Revenue Ruling 2023-1 |
Wildcard (any property) | $5,970 in any personal property except wages (amount for 2023-2027) Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-1552; Neb. Dept. of Revenue, Revenue Ruling 2023-1 |
Tools of your trade | $5,970 total in implements, tools, or professional books or supplies (not a motor vehicle) used in your or your family's main trade or business (amount for 2023-2027) Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-1556(1)(d), (2); Neb. Dept. of Revenue, Revenue Ruling 2023-1 |
Wages | At least 75% of your weekly disposable earnings is exempt. If you are the head of a family, at least 85% is exempt. More is exempt if you earn less than 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage per week. These limits do not apply to support orders or tax debts. Pension payments count as earnings here. Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-1558 |
Retirement accounts | Pension, profit-sharing, stock bonus and similar plans, including IRAs and Roth IRAs that qualify under the tax code, are exempt in bankruptcy to the extent reasonably necessary for the support of you and your dependents. A plan set up or amended to increase contributions within two years before bankruptcy, by you or an insider employer, is not covered. Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-1563.01 |
Public benefits | Unemployment benefits are exempt while not mixed with other money (except debts for necessities bought while you were unemployed). Workers' compensation payments are exempt (except child support). Assistance to the aged, blind or disabled, aid to dependent children and similar public assistance cannot be taken. Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-647, 48-149, 68-1013 |
Other exemptions |
Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. 44-371; Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-1559 |
Amounts: Personal property, household goods, tools and vehicle amounts: adjusted by the Nebraska Department of Revenue for 2023 through 2027 (Revenue Ruling 2023-1, September 19, 2023); next adjustment due in 2028. Homestead: $120,000 under Laws 2024, LB1195.
The Nebraska homestead exemption
$120,000 in value. The homestead is the house you live in, its outbuildings and the land under it: up to 160 acres outside a city or village, or up to two lots inside a city or village.
The exemption belongs to each natural person living in Nebraska. You do not have to be the head of a family (that requirement was removed in 2024). Mechanics', laborers' and vendors' liens, and a mortgage or deed of trust on the home signed and acknowledged by the owner, can still be enforced against the home.
Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. 40-101, 40-103
Retirement accounts
Pension, profit-sharing, stock bonus and similar plans, including IRAs and Roth IRAs that qualify under the tax code, are exempt in bankruptcy to the extent reasonably necessary for the support of you and your dependents. A plan set up or amended to increase contributions within two years before bankruptcy, by you or an insider employer, is not covered.
Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-1563.01
Retirement money in tax-exempt accounts is protected whichever set of exemptions you use (IRAs subject to the 522(n) cap).
Law: 11 U.S.C. 522(b)(3)(C), 522(d)(12), 522(n)
New amounts in Nebraska
2024: homestead raised from $60,000 to $120,000, the head-of-family requirement (former section 40-102) was repealed, and a home mortgage now needs only the owner's signature to be enforceable against the homestead (Laws 2024, LB1195, approved April 15, 2024). Personal property amounts were last adjusted for 2023-2027.
If you moved in the last 2 years
You use the exemption law of the state where you lived (your domicile) for the full 730 days (2 years) before you filed. If you moved between states during those 2 years, you use the law of the state where you lived for the 180 days before that 2-year period, or where you lived the longest part of those 180 days.
Law: 11 U.S.C. 522(b)(3)(A)
If this rule leaves you with no exemptions at all (for example, the state's exemptions apply only to its residents and you no longer live there), you can use the federal exemptions instead.
Law: 11 U.S.C. 522(b)(3), flush language
In nearby states
- South Dakota: State exemptions only. Home (homestead): no dollar limit on the value of the home itself.
- Kansas: State exemptions only. Home (homestead): unlimited value.
- Iowa: State exemptions only. Home (homestead): unlimited value — up to 1/2 acre inside a city plat, or up to 40 acres elsewhere.
- Colorado: State exemptions only. Home (homestead): $250,000 of equity in your home; $350,000 if the home is occupied by an owner, owner's spouse, or owner's dependent who is elderly or disabled.
What to do now in Nebraska
List what you own
Every item of property goes on Official Form 106A/B.
Match each item to an exemption
Use the Nebraska table above to see which exemption covers each item and how much.
List the exemptions you claim
You claim exemptions on Official Form 106C.
Get help
Ask for free help: Legal Aid of Nebraska (free civil legal help if you qualify) and Nebraska State Bar Association.
Free legal help in Nebraska
Questions about exemptions in Nebraska
Can I use the federal bankruptcy exemptions in Nebraska?
No. Nebraska requires you to use the state exemptions.
What is the homestead exemption in Nebraska?
$120,000 in value. The homestead is the house you live in, its outbuildings and the land under it: up to 160 acres outside a city or village, or up to two lots inside a city or village.
How much of a car can I keep in bankruptcy in Nebraska?
$5,970 in one motor vehicle (amount for 2023-2027)
Does Nebraska have a wildcard exemption?
$5,970 in any personal property except wages (amount for 2023-2027)
Are furniture and clothes exempt in Nebraska?
Your and your family's immediate personal possessions and all necessary clothing. Plus $3,582 total (amount for 2023-2027) in household furnishings, household goods, household computers, appliances, books or musical instruments used mainly for personal, family or household use. Health aids prescribed by a professional are also exempt.
Is my 401(k) or IRA protected in a Nebraska bankruptcy?
Pension, profit-sharing, stock bonus and similar plans, including IRAs and Roth IRAs that qualify under the tax code, are exempt in bankruptcy to the extent reasonably necessary for the support of you and your dependents. A plan set up or amended to increase contributions within two years before bankruptcy, by you or an insider employer, is not covered.
Are my wages protected in Nebraska?
At least 75% of your weekly disposable earnings is exempt. If you are the head of a family, at least 85% is exempt. More is exempt if you earn less than 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage per week. These limits do not apply to support orders or tax debts. Pension payments count as earnings here.