Bankruptcy in Oklahoma

In Oklahoma you use state exemptions only (exemptions are the property the law lets you keep). Your home (homestead): unlimited in value — in a city or town: up to 1 acre that you own and live in as your principal residence.

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 Oklahoma

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

Law: 31 Okla. Stat. 1(B)

What	Oklahoma exemption
Home (homestead)	Unlimited in value. In a city or town: up to 1 acre that you own and live in as your principal residence. Outside a city or town: up to 160 acres, in one or more parcels. A manufactured home that is your principal residence is also exempt. In a city or town, at least 75% of the building's floor area must be used as your home; if more than 25% is used for business, the homestead exemption is limited to $5,000. Temporarily renting out the homestead does not end the exemption if you have not acquired another homestead. Federal bankruptcy law can cap a homestead acquired shortly before filing (covered in the federal section). Law: 31 Okla. Stat. 1(A)(1)-(2); 31 Okla. Stat. 2
Car or other vehicle	$7,500 in equity in one motor vehicle, per person Law: 31 Okla. Stat. 1(A)(13)
Household goods and clothing	All household and kitchen furniture, including a personal computer and related equipment, with no dollar limit. All books, portraits and pictures. Clothing up to $4,000 total. Wedding and anniversary rings up to $3,000 total. Guns for personal use up to $2,000 total. Professionally prescribed health aids. One year's provisions and forage. Farm animals kept for family use: 5 milk cows and calves under 6 months, 100 chickens, 2 horses with 2 bridles and 2 saddles, 10 hogs, 20 sheep. Law: 31 Okla. Stat. 1(A)(3), (6)-(12), (14)-(17)
Tools of your trade	$10,000 total in tools, apparatus and books used in your trade or profession (or a dependent's), plus farm implements needed to farm the homestead Law: 31 Okla. Stat. 1(A)(5)
Wages	75% of wages or earnings for personal or professional services earned in the last 90 days. If you support a family or dependents, a court can exempt more on a showing of undue hardship. Law: 31 Okla. Stat. 1(A)(18); 31 Okla. Stat. 1.1
Retirement accounts	Any interest in a tax-qualified retirement plan or arrangement is exempt, including 401(k), pensions, IRAs, Roth IRAs, SEPs, Keoghs, 403(b), 457 plans and education IRAs. Since November 1, 2024 the law says distributions from these plans are exempt too. This is subject to the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act. Tax-free rollovers between plans are not treated as fraudulent transfers. Law: 31 Okla. Stat. 1(A)(20)
Public benefits	Unemployment benefits (while not mixed with other money), public assistance, and pension money of veterans disabled in U.S. military service are exempt. A personal injury, death or workers' compensation claim is exempt up to $50,000 net. Law: 40 Okla. Stat. 2-303; 56 Okla. Stat. 173; 31 Okla. Stat. 7; 31 Okla. Stat. 1(A)(21)
Other exemptions	Federal earned income tax credit money is exempt. Life, health and accident insurance proceeds and cash values, and annuity benefits, are fully exempt, including in bankruptcy, except premiums paid to defraud creditors. Oklahoma College Savings Plan (529) accounts and individual development accounts are exempt. Alimony, support and child support you receive, to the extent reasonably necessary for your and your dependents' support, and cemetery lots. Law: 31 Okla. Stat. 1(A)(23); 36 Okla. Stat. 3631.1; 31 Okla. Stat. 1(A)(22), (24); 31 Okla. Stat. 1(A)(4), (19)

Federal limit on a newly bought home

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 fixed in statute (not indexed). Text read in Title 31 of the Oklahoma Statutes as compiled by the Oklahoma Legislature (PDF dated December 31, 2025); section 1 was last amended by Laws 2024, c. 70, effective November 1, 2024 (no dollar amounts changed).

The means test in Oklahoma: first step

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

1 person$61,180
2 people$77,208
3 people$86,845
4 people$101,798
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 Oklahoma

You file in the district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the last 180 days. Oklahoma has three districts: Northern (Tulsa), Eastern (Muskogee) and Western (Oklahoma City). To see which district your county is in, use the Northern District court's list: https://www.oknb.uscourts.gov/oklahoma-counties-district-where-do-i-file.

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1408

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma

Divisions: Tulsa

Clerk's phone: 918-699-4000

Court's self-help page

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

Divisions: Muskogee

Clerk's phone: 918-549-7200

Court's self-help page

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

Divisions: Oklahoma City

Clerk's phone: (405) 609-5700

Court's self-help page

Free help in Oklahoma

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 Oklahoma's courts.

Bankruptcy in Oklahoma by topic

Exemptions in Oklahoma

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

The means test in Oklahoma

The official median income and the first-step check.

Where to file in Oklahoma

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

Good to know in Oklahoma

Oklahoma has no wildcard exemption, so cash and bank accounts are not protected unless they fit another category, such as recent wages (75% of the last 90 days) or earned income tax credit money.
Law: 31 Okla. Stat. 1(A)
The homestead has no dollar limit, only an acreage limit: 1 acre in a city or town, 160 acres outside one.
Law: 31 Okla. Stat. 2
If more than 25% of a city or town home's floor area is used for business, the homestead exemption drops to $5,000.
Law: 31 Okla. Stat. 2(C)

Changes in 2024–2026

Effective November 1, 2024, Oklahoma added 'including any distributions from said plan or arrangement' to the retirement plan exemption, so money paid out of a qualified retirement plan is also exempt (Laws 2024, c. 70). No dollar amounts changed in 2024-2026.

Questions about bankruptcy in Oklahoma

Can I use the federal bankruptcy exemptions in Oklahoma?

No. Oklahoma requires you to use the state exemptions.

What is the homestead exemption in Oklahoma?

Unlimited in value. In a city or town: up to 1 acre that you own and live in as your principal residence. Outside a city or town: up to 160 acres, in one or more parcels. A manufactured home that is your principal residence is also exempt.

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

$7,500 in equity in one motor vehicle, per person

What household goods can I keep in Oklahoma?

All household and kitchen furniture, including a personal computer and related equipment, with no dollar limit. All books, portraits and pictures. Clothing up to $4,000 total. Wedding and anniversary rings up to $3,000 total. Guns for personal use up to $2,000 total. Professionally prescribed health aids. One year's provisions and forage. Farm animals kept for family use: 5 milk cows and calves under 6 months, 100 chickens, 2 horses with 2 bridles and 2 saddles, 10 hogs, 20 sheep.

Are retirement accounts protected in bankruptcy in Oklahoma?

Any interest in a tax-qualified retirement plan or arrangement is exempt, including 401(k), pensions, IRAs, Roth IRAs, SEPs, Keoghs, 403(b), 457 plans and education IRAs. Since November 1, 2024 the law says distributions from these plans are exempt too. This is subject to the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act. Tax-free rollovers between plans are not treated as fraudulent transfers.

Are my wages protected in Oklahoma?

75% of wages or earnings for personal or professional services earned in the last 90 days. If you support a family or dependents, a court can exempt more on a showing of undue hardship.

Where do I file bankruptcy in Oklahoma?

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

For cases filed on or after April 1, 2026: 1 person: $61,180; 2 people: $77,208; 3 people: $86,845; 4 people: $101,798; Each extra person: +$11,100.

Where can I get free help with bankruptcy in Oklahoma?

Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma (free civil legal aid) and Oklahoma Bar Association — legal resources and lawyer services (linked by the Northern District court).