Per-category dollar amounts under the federal bankruptcy exemption scheme as adjusted by the most recent triennial COLA (April 1, 2025). Always verify against the current text of 11 U.S.C. § 522(d) and the most recent published adjustments before relying for a specific case.
| Subsection | Category | Cap (current cycle) |
|---|---|---|
| (d)(1) | Homestead (residence) | $31,575 |
| (d)(2) | Motor vehicle (one) | $5,025 |
| (d)(3) | Household goods (per item / aggregate) | $800 / $16,850 |
| (d)(4) | Jewelry | $2,125 |
| (d)(5) | Wildcard | $1,675 + up to $15,800 of unused homestead |
| (d)(6) | Tools of trade / professional books | $3,175 |
| (d)(7) | Life insurance contract (unmatured, non-credit) | unlimited (subject to cash-value cap) |
| (d)(8) | Cash value of life insurance | $16,850 |
| (d)(9) | Professional health aids | unlimited |
| (d)(10)(A-E) | Government benefits, alimony, retirement funds, etc. | unlimited (qualified amounts only) |
| (d)(11)(A) | Crime victim award | unlimited |
| (d)(11)(B-E) | Wrongful death, life insurance proceeds, personal injury, lost earnings | varies |
| (d)(12) | Retirement funds (qualified) | $1,711,975 (separately from (d)(10)(E)) |
Under § 522(m), each spouse in a joint case may claim a full set of exemptions, effectively doubling the per-debtor caps when both spouses have an interest in the relevant property. The rule is mechanical: in a joint Chapter 7 or 13 by spouses, both can claim the homestead, the motor-vehicle exemption, etc.
The wildcard exemption (§ 522(d)(5)) is one of the most useful provisions. It has two components:
Combined, debtors who don't use their homestead exemption (renters, owners with little equity) can wildcard up to $17,475 of "any property" they want to protect. This is commonly applied to bank accounts, tax refunds, and personal items above category caps.
Each subsection's cap applies separately. A debtor with a $25,000 vehicle cannot exempt the full vehicle by combining the (d)(2) motor-vehicle cap with the (d)(5) wildcard — they'd use $5,025 from (d)(2), then $1,675 from the basic wildcard, then up to $15,800 from unused homestead, for a total of $22,500. The remaining $2,500 is non-exempt equity.