Bankruptcy exemptions in Tennessee: what you can keep

Every Tennessee exemption with its amount and law, plus the federal rules that limit them.

Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026.

Short answer

In Tennessee you use state exemptions only (exemptions are the property the law lets you keep). Your home (homestead): $35,000 in real property you own and that you, your spouse or a dependent use as your principal residence.

Exemption system: State exemptions only
Wildcard (any property): $10,000 of your equity in personal property you choose, such as a car, furniture, household goods, bank accounts or cash.
Amounts: Homestead amounts effective January 1, 2022 (2021 Pub. Ch. 301); survivor rule amended by 2026 Pub. Ch. 709.

The Tennessee exemption list

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

Law: Tenn. Code Ann. 26-2-112

What	Tennessee exemption
Home (homestead)	$35,000 in real property you own and that you, your spouse or a dependent use as your principal residence. $52,500 if two or more people jointly own and live in the home. Since January 1, 2022, the same $35,000 applies to single people, people age 62 or older, and parents with minor children (the older age- and child-based amounts were replaced). Joint owners who both live in the home share one $52,500 exemption. The homestead does not protect against property taxes or debts for improvements to the home. After the death of a head of family, the exemption continues for the surviving spouse, minor children and (from 2026) an adult child with a developmental or intellectual disability who live in the home. Law: Tenn. Code Ann. 26-2-301 (as amended by 2021 Pub. Ch. 301 and 2026 Pub. Ch. 709)
Household goods and clothing	Automatically exempt, with no list needed: necessary clothing for you and your family and the trunks or containers that hold it, family portraits and pictures, the family Bible and school books. Furniture, household goods, a car and other personal property must be covered by the $10,000 personal property exemption (see wildcard). Law: Tenn. Code Ann. 26-2-104(a)(1)-(3)
Wildcard (any property)	$10,000 of your equity in personal property you choose, such as a car, furniture, household goods, bank accounts or cash. Outside bankruptcy you claim it by filing a sworn list with the court clerk. Law: Tenn. Code Ann. 26-2-102, 26-2-114
Tools of your trade	$1,900 in tools, implements and professional books of your trade (or a dependent's trade). Law: Tenn. Code Ann. 26-2-111(4)
Wages	Most wages are protected: a creditor can take no more than the smaller of 25% of your weekly disposable (after-tax) earnings or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage. An extra amount per week is protected for each dependent child under 16. These limits do not protect wages from alimony or child support orders. Law: Tenn. Code Ann. 26-2-106, 26-2-107, 26-2-108
Retirement accounts	Tax-qualified retirement plans and IRAs (401(a), 403(a), 403(b), 408, 408A, 409) are protected under Tenn. Code Ann. 26-2-105; a 2024 law confirmed that the payment-based rules in 26-2-111 do not make those plans available to creditors. Other pension or annuity payments are exempt to the same extent as wages. Law: Tenn. Code Ann. 26-2-105; Tenn. Code Ann. 26-2-111(1)(D) (as amended by 2024 Pub. Ch. 833)
Public benefits	Unemployment compensation, veterans' benefits, and disability or illness benefits are exempt; so are workers' compensation and public assistance. Law: Tenn. Code Ann. 26-2-111(1)(B), (1)(C); Tenn. Code Ann. 50-6-223; Tenn. Code Ann. 71-2-216
Other exemptions	Life insurance and annuity contracts on your life that are payable to, or assigned to, your spouse, children or dependent relatives: the net amount payable is exempt from your creditors, including garnishment, even if you can change the beneficiary. Using exempt funds does not make them non-exempt. Law: Tenn. Code Ann. 56-7-203, rewritten by 2025 Pub. Ch. 150, effective July 1, 2025

Amounts: Homestead amounts effective January 1, 2022 (2021 Pub. Ch. 301); survivor rule amended by 2026 Pub. Ch. 709. $10,000 personal property amount as stated in current Davidson County Chancery and Circuit Court forms; $1,900 tools amount from the Davidson County Chancery Court debtor's exemption form. Tennessee amounts are fixed by statute, not indexed. Read in the Public Chapters published by the Tennessee Secretary of State, the General Assembly bill summary and Tennessee state and federal court forms, October 2026.

Keeping your home in Tennessee

$35,000 in real property you own and that you, your spouse or a dependent use as your principal residence. $52,500 if two or more people jointly own and live in the home.

Since January 1, 2022, the same $35,000 applies to single people, people age 62 or older, and parents with minor children (the older age- and child-based amounts were replaced). Joint owners who both live in the home share one $52,500 exemption. The homestead does not protect against property taxes or debts for improvements to the home. After the death of a head of family, the exemption continues for the surviving spouse, minor children and (from 2026) an adult child with a developmental or intellectual disability who live in the home.

Law: Tenn. Code Ann. 26-2-301 (as amended by 2021 Pub. Ch. 301 and 2026 Pub. Ch. 709)

New amounts in Tennessee

2024 Pub. Ch. 833 (signed May 2024, effective on becoming law) clarified retirement-plan protection in 26-2-111. 2025 Pub. Ch. 150 rewrote the life insurance/annuity exemption in 56-7-203 (effective July 1, 2025). 2026 Pub. Ch. 709 extended the surviving-family homestead to an adult child with a developmental or intellectual disability. No dollar amounts changed in 2024-2026.

IRAs, 401(k)s and pensions

Tax-qualified retirement plans and IRAs (401(a), 403(a), 403(b), 408, 408A, 409) are protected under Tenn. Code Ann. 26-2-105; a 2024 law confirmed that the payment-based rules in 26-2-111 do not make those plans available to creditors. Other pension or annuity payments are exempt to the same extent as wages.

Law: Tenn. Code Ann. 26-2-105; Tenn. Code Ann. 26-2-111(1)(D) (as amended by 2024 Pub. Ch. 833)

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

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.
Alabama: State exemptions only. Home (homestead): $18,800 of home value per owner, on up to 160 acres.
Georgia: State exemptions only. Home (homestead): $50,000 of your interest in real or personal property that you or a dependent use as a residence, or in a burial plot.
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.

Steps to protect what you can in Tennessee

List what you own
List each thing you own and what it is worth on Official Form 106A/B.
Check the exemption list
Use the Tennessee table above to see which exemption covers each item and how much.
List the exemptions you claim
Exemptions are claimed on Official Form 106C.
Talk to legal aid
Legal aid can help for free: HELP4TN (Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services): free legal help finder and helpline and Knoxville Bar Association (listed by the Eastern District court).

Free help in Tennessee

Questions about exemptions in Tennessee

Does Tennessee let me choose the federal exemptions?

No. Tennessee requires you to use the state exemptions.

What is the homestead exemption in Tennessee?

$35,000 in real property you own and that you, your spouse or a dependent use as your principal residence. $52,500 if two or more people jointly own and live in the home.

Does Tennessee have a wildcard exemption?

$10,000 of your equity in personal property you choose, such as a car, furniture, household goods, bank accounts or cash. Outside bankruptcy you claim it by filing a sworn list with the court clerk.

What household goods can I keep in Tennessee?

Automatically exempt, with no list needed: necessary clothing for you and your family and the trunks or containers that hold it, family portraits and pictures, the family Bible and school books. Furniture, household goods, a car and other personal property must be covered by the $10,000 personal property exemption (see wildcard).

Are retirement accounts protected in bankruptcy in Tennessee?

Are my wages protected in Tennessee?

Most wages are protected: a creditor can take no more than the smaller of 25% of your weekly disposable (after-tax) earnings or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage. An extra amount per week is protected for each dependent child under 16. These limits do not protect wages from alimony or child support orders.