Bankruptcy exemptions in Nevada: what you can keep
What property Nevada law protects in bankruptcy, item by item.
Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026.
Short answer
In Nevada you use state exemptions only (exemptions are the property the law lets you keep). Your home (homestead): $605,000 of equity in your home.
- Exemption system
- State exemptions only
- Car or other vehicle
- $15,000 of equity in one vehicle. A vehicle equipped or modified for a person with a permanent disability is exempt with no dollar limit.
- Wildcard (any property)
- $10,000 total in any personal property not otherwise exempt, including money in the bank, stocks and bonds.
- Amounts
- Amounts as printed in NRS 21.090 and 115.010, Nevada Legislature website.
The Nevada exemption list
Exemptions are the property the law lets you keep. You use the Nevada list. The federal list is not available in Nevada.
Law: NRS 21.090(3)
| What | Nevada exemption |
|---|---|
Home (homestead) | $605,000 of equity in your home. The home can be a house and land, a mobile home (even if you do not own the land), or a condo or other common-interest unit. A home on land you do not own is also exempt up to $605,000 of equity. One homestead is claimed by both spouses, either spouse, or a single person. To protect it under Nevada law you sign a written declaration of homestead and record it like a deed with the county recorder. You can record it yourself; the county recording fee is the only fee required. The exemption does not stop a mortgage, deed of trust, home equity loan, purchase-money or mechanic's lien, property taxes or HOA liens. If allodial title has been established, all equity is exempt. Law: NRS 115.005, 115.010, 115.020; NRS 21.090(1)(l), (m) |
Car or other vehicle | $15,000 of equity in one vehicle. A vehicle equipped or modified for a person with a permanent disability is exempt with no dollar limit. Law: NRS 21.090(1)(f), (p) |
Household goods and clothing | $12,000 total in necessary household goods, furnishings, electronics, clothing, other personal effects and yard equipment. Separately, $5,000 total in private libraries, works of art, musical instruments and jewelry, plus all family pictures and keepsakes. Prostheses and equipment prescribed by a doctor or dentist are exempt. Law: NRS 21.090(1)(a), (b), (q) |
Wildcard (any property) | $10,000 total in any personal property not otherwise exempt, including money in the bank, stocks and bonds Law: NRS 21.090(1)(z) |
Tools of your trade | $10,000 in professional libraries, equipment, supplies, tools, inventory and materials used in your trade or business. Separately: $4,500 in farm trucks, stock, tools, equipment, supplies and seed; and $4,500 for a miner's or prospector's cabin, equipment and worked claim. Law: NRS 21.090(1)(c), (d), (e) |
Wages | 82% of weekly disposable earnings is exempt if your gross weekly pay is $770 or less; 75% if it is more than $770; or 50 times the federal minimum hourly wage, whichever is greater. Earnings held in a bank account are covered. The rule does not apply to support orders, bankruptcy court orders or tax debts. Law: NRS 21.090(1)(g) |
Retirement accounts | Up to $1,000,000 in present value is exempt in IRAs and Roth IRAs (including inherited IRAs), SEP plans, 401(k)-type plans and qualified pension or profit-sharing trusts. Nevada 529 college savings money is also covered, with exceptions. Public Employees' Retirement System benefits are exempt. Law: NRS 21.090(1)(r), (ii) |
Public benefits | Social Security (including SSI and disability), unemployment benefits, workers' compensation, public assistance, child welfare assistance, vocational rehabilitation money and private disability insurance proceeds are exempt. Law: NRS 21.090(1)(y), (ee), (gg), (hh), (jj), (kk), (ll) |
Other exemptions |
Law: NRS 21.090(1)(aa); NRS 21.090(1)(s), (t); NRS 21.090(1)(k); NRS 21.090(1)(u), (n) |
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: Amounts as printed in NRS 21.090 and 115.010, Nevada Legislature website.
Your home in Nevada
$605,000 of equity in your home. The home can be a house and land, a mobile home (even if you do not own the land), or a condo or other common-interest unit. A home on land you do not own is also exempt up to $605,000 of equity.
One homestead is claimed by both spouses, either spouse, or a single person. To protect it under Nevada law you sign a written declaration of homestead and record it like a deed with the county recorder. You can record it yourself; the county recording fee is the only fee required. The exemption does not stop a mortgage, deed of trust, home equity loan, purchase-money or mechanic's lien, property taxes or HOA liens. If allodial title has been established, all equity is exempt.
Law: NRS 115.005, 115.010, 115.020; NRS 21.090(1)(l), (m)
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
Retirement accounts
Up to $1,000,000 in present value is exempt in IRAs and Roth IRAs (including inherited IRAs), SEP plans, 401(k)-type plans and qualified pension or profit-sharing trusts. Nevada 529 college savings money is also covered, with exceptions. Public Employees' Retirement System benefits are exempt.
Law: NRS 21.090(1)(r), (ii)
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)
Which state's law applies
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
- California: State exemptions only. Home (homestead): 704 system: the greater of $300,000 or the countywide median sale price for a single-family home in the calendar year before you claim the exemption, up to $600,000.
- Utah: State exemptions only. Home (homestead): 2026: up to $53,700 per person in your primary personal residence (a house or mobile home plus up to 1 acre of land around it).
- Idaho: State exemptions only. Home (homestead): $175,000 of net value (market value minus liens) in your homestead, with no limit on land area.
- Oregon: State or federal, your choice. Home (homestead): $158,300 in equity for one debtor; $316,700 combined when two or more members of the same household are debtors.
Your next steps in Nevada
Make a property list
List each thing you own and what it is worth on Official Form 106A/B.
Match each item to an exemption
For each item, find the Nevada exemption that covers it and its limit.
List the exemptions you claim
The exemptions you choose go on Official Form 106C.
Free legal help in Nevada
- Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, Consumer Rights Project (bankruptcy; weekly free bankruptcy education class) · (702) 386-1070
- Northern Nevada Legal Aid, Bankruptcy Court Facilitator Program (Reno) · (775) 329-2727
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Nevada: Legal Services page
- Find free legal aid at LawHelp.org
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Nevada – Court's self-help page
Questions about exemptions in Nevada
State or federal exemptions in Nevada?
No. Nevada requires you to use the state exemptions.
Can I keep my house in bankruptcy in Nevada?
$605,000 of equity in your home. The home can be a house and land, a mobile home (even if you do not own the land), or a condo or other common-interest unit. A home on land you do not own is also exempt up to $605,000 of equity.
How much of a car can I keep in bankruptcy in Nevada?
$15,000 of equity in one vehicle. A vehicle equipped or modified for a person with a permanent disability is exempt with no dollar limit.
Is there a wildcard in Nevada?
$10,000 total in any personal property not otherwise exempt, including money in the bank, stocks and bonds
Are furniture and clothes exempt in Nevada?
$12,000 total in necessary household goods, furnishings, electronics, clothing, other personal effects and yard equipment. Separately, $5,000 total in private libraries, works of art, musical instruments and jewelry, plus all family pictures and keepsakes. Prostheses and equipment prescribed by a doctor or dentist are exempt.
Is my 401(k) or IRA protected in a Nevada bankruptcy?
Up to $1,000,000 in present value is exempt in IRAs and Roth IRAs (including inherited IRAs), SEP plans, 401(k)-type plans and qualified pension or profit-sharing trusts. Nevada 529 college savings money is also covered, with exceptions. Public Employees' Retirement System benefits are exempt.
What is the wage exemption in Nevada?
82% of weekly disposable earnings is exempt if your gross weekly pay is $770 or less; 75% if it is more than $770; or 50 times the federal minimum hourly wage, whichever is greater. Earnings held in a bank account are covered. The rule does not apply to support orders, bankruptcy court orders or tax debts.