Bankruptcy exemptions in Ohio: what you can keep
What property Ohio law protects in bankruptcy, item by item.
Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026.
Short answer
In Ohio you use state exemptions only (exemptions are the property the law lets you keep). Your home (homestead): $182,625 in equity in one parcel or item of real or personal property that you or a dependent use as a residence (a house, condo or mobile home).
- Exemption system
- State exemptions only
- Car or other vehicle
- $5,025 in equity in one motor vehicle, per person.
- Wildcard (any property)
- $1,675 in any property (only in bankruptcy cases)
- Amounts
- Amounts effective April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2028, as adjusted by the Ohio Judicial Conference under Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(B) and published by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The statute text itself still shows the base amounts (e.g., $125,000 homestead).
What Ohio lets you keep
Exemptions are the property the law lets you keep. You use the Ohio list. The federal list is not available in Ohio.
Law: Ohio Rev. Code 2329.662
| What | Ohio exemption |
|---|---|
Home (homestead) | $182,625 in equity in one parcel or item of real or personal property that you or a dependent use as a residence (a house, condo or mobile home) Per person: the statute protects 'the person's interest', so when a married couple who both own the home file a joint case, each spouse can claim the exemption. No declaration or recording is needed. Amount applies to cases filed April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2028. Law: 11 U.S.C. 522(m); Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(A)(1)(b) |
Car or other vehicle | $5,025 in equity in one motor vehicle, per person Law: Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(A)(2) |
Household goods and clothing | Household furnishings and goods, clothing, appliances, books, animals, crops, musical instruments, firearms, and hunting and fishing gear: up to $800 per item and $16,850 total. Jewelry: $2,125 total. Cash, bank deposits, money owed to you within 90 days, security deposits and tax refunds (other than wages): $625. Medically necessary health aids are fully exempt. Law: Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(A)(3), (A)(4)(a)-(b), (A)(7) |
Wildcard (any property) | $1,675 in any property (only in bankruptcy cases) Law: Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(A)(18) |
Tools of your trade | $3,200 total in implements, professional books or tools of your profession, trade or business, including farming Law: Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(A)(5) |
Wages | Earned but unpaid wages are exempt up to the greater of 75% of disposable earnings or 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage per week (60 times biweekly, 65 times semimonthly, 130 times monthly). Law: Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(A)(13) |
Retirement accounts | Ohio public employee pensions (PERS, STRS, SERS, police and fire, and others) are exempt. IRAs, Roth IRAs and education IRAs are exempt to the extent they come from contributions within the yearly legal limits or allowed rollovers, plus their earnings; inherited IRAs are exempt. Keogh plans and private pension payments are exempt to the extent reasonably necessary to support you and your dependents. Money put in to avoid paying a debt is not protected. Law: Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(A)(10)(a)-(e) |
Public benefits | Workers' compensation, unemployment benefits, Ohio Works First cash assistance, Prevention, Retention and Contingency benefits, and vocational rehabilitation maintenance payments are exempt. Law: Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(A)(9)(a)-(e) |
Other exemptions |
Law: Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(A)(9)(f); Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(A)(12); Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(A)(11); Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(A)(6), (A)(8), (A)(10)(c) |
Amounts: Amounts effective April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2028, as adjusted by the Ohio Judicial Conference under Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(B) and published by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The statute text itself still shows the base amounts (e.g., $125,000 homestead).
IRAs, 401(k)s and pensions
Ohio public employee pensions (PERS, STRS, SERS, police and fire, and others) are exempt. IRAs, Roth IRAs and education IRAs are exempt to the extent they come from contributions within the yearly legal limits or allowed rollovers, plus their earnings; inherited IRAs are exempt. Keogh plans and private pension payments are exempt to the extent reasonably necessary to support you and your dependents. Money put in to avoid paying a debt is not protected.
Law: Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(A)(10)(a)-(e)
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)
Recent changes in Ohio
On April 1, 2025 Ohio's amounts rose for inflation: homestead to $182,625 (from $161,375), vehicle to $5,025 (from $4,450), household goods to $800 per item and $16,850 total (from $700 and $14,875), jewelry to $2,125 (from $1,875), tools to $3,200 (from $2,825), cash to $625 (from $550), personal injury to $31,650 (from $27,950) and the wildcard to $1,675 (from $1,475). House Bill 96 (effective September 30, 2025) made only a wording change to the public deferred compensation reference.
Keeping your home in Ohio
$182,625 in equity in one parcel or item of real or personal property that you or a dependent use as a residence (a house, condo or mobile home)
Per person: the statute protects 'the person's interest', so when a married couple who both own the home file a joint case, each spouse can claim the exemption. No declaration or recording is needed. Amount applies to cases filed April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2028.
Law: 11 U.S.C. 522(m)
Law: Ohio Rev. Code 2329.66(A)(1)(b)
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
- West Virginia: State or federal, your choice. Home (homestead): up to $35,000 in real or personal property that you or a dependent uses as a residence, or in a burial plot for you or a dependent.
- Indiana: State exemptions only. Home (homestead): $22,750 in the home (real estate or personal property such as a mobile home) that you or a dependent live in.
- Kentucky: State or federal, your choice. Home (homestead): $5,000 in real or personal property that you or a dependent use as a permanent home in Kentucky, or in a burial plot.
- Pennsylvania: State or federal, your choice. Home (homestead): none — Pennsylvania law has no homestead exemption.
Your next steps in Ohio
Write down your property
List each thing you own and what it is worth on Official Form 106A/B.
Match each item to an exemption
The table above shows the Ohio amount for each kind of property.
Claim your exemptions
You claim exemptions on Official Form 106C.
Free legal help in Ohio
Questions about exemptions in Ohio
Can I use the federal bankruptcy exemptions in Ohio?
No. Ohio requires you to use the state exemptions.
How much home equity can I keep in Ohio?
$182,625 in equity in one parcel or item of real or personal property that you or a dependent use as a residence (a house, condo or mobile home)
Can I keep my car in Ohio?
$5,025 in equity in one motor vehicle, per person
What is the wildcard exemption in Ohio?
$1,675 in any property (only in bankruptcy cases)
What household goods can I keep in Ohio?
Household furnishings and goods, clothing, appliances, books, animals, crops, musical instruments, firearms, and hunting and fishing gear: up to $800 per item and $16,850 total. Jewelry: $2,125 total. Cash, bank deposits, money owed to you within 90 days, security deposits and tax refunds (other than wages): $625. Medically necessary health aids are fully exempt.
Are retirement accounts protected in bankruptcy in Ohio?
Ohio public employee pensions (PERS, STRS, SERS, police and fire, and others) are exempt. IRAs, Roth IRAs and education IRAs are exempt to the extent they come from contributions within the yearly legal limits or allowed rollovers, plus their earnings; inherited IRAs are exempt. Keogh plans and private pension payments are exempt to the extent reasonably necessary to support you and your dependents. Money put in to avoid paying a debt is not protected.
What is the wage exemption in Ohio?
Earned but unpaid wages are exempt up to the greater of 75% of disposable earnings or 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage per week (60 times biweekly, 65 times semimonthly, 130 times monthly).