Ohio Bankruptcy Exemptions
When an Ohio resident files bankruptcy, state law decides what they keep and what a trustee can sell to pay creditors. Ohio is an opt-out state, so filers must use Ohio’s own exemption list under Revised Code section twenty-three twenty-nine point sixty-six, not the federal set. Those amounts are not fixed numbers in a dusty statute book either; the Ohio Judicial Conference reindexes them for inflation every three years. This guide walks through the current homestead, vehicle, wildcard, and household figures, who adjusts them and when, and where the line falls between protected property and assets a creditor can still reach.
The Short Version
Ohio bankruptcy filers cannot pick the federal exemptions; Ohio opted out, so Revised Code section twenty-three twenty-nine point sixty-six controls. The headline protection is the homestead exemption, currently one hundred eighty-two thousand six hundred twenty-five dollars in home equity per filer, which a married couple can usually stack. A motor vehicle is protected up to five thousand twenty-five dollars in equity, and a wildcard of one thousand six hundred seventy-five dollars covers anything else. Most retirement accounts are protected separately. What makes Ohio distinctive is the indexing: the Ohio Judicial Conference, not the legislature, raises every dollar figure to the consumer price index every third April, with the last bump on April first, twenty twenty-five and the next due April first, twenty twenty-eight. This page is general legal information, not legal advice. Talk to an Ohio bankruptcy attorney about your own filing.
Watch: Ohio Exemptions Explained
What stays protected, and what a creditor can still reach.
Watch Overview
Ohio Is an Opt-Out State
That single fact decides which list a filer uses.
Federal bankruptcy law contains its own exemption list at eleven U.S. Code section five twenty-two, but it lets each state opt out and force its residents onto state exemptions instead. Ohio opted out. The practical result is that an Ohio filer in Chapter Seven or Chapter Thirteen generally may not choose the federal subsection (d) figures; they must use the Ohio list in Revised Code section twenty-three twenty-nine point sixty-six. This matters because the two lists are not interchangeable. The federal homestead is far smaller than Ohio’s, so for most homeowners the Ohio set protects substantially more equity, while the federal wildcard is more generous for filers with little home equity to shield.
Residency rules add a wrinkle. Bankruptcy applies the exemptions of the state where the filer was domiciled for the better part of the two years before filing, so someone who moved to Ohio recently may still be tied to a prior state’s list, or to the federal set as a fallback. That is a fact-specific question for counsel. The point for this page is the baseline: an established Ohio resident files under Ohio’s exemptions, and those exemptions are the indexed figures below, not the federal ones and not a number frozen in time.
Current Ohio Exemption Amounts
Effective April first, twenty twenty-five through March thirty-first, twenty twenty-eight.
| Property | Protected Amount | Statute | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homestead (residence)Indexed | One hundred eighty-two thousand six hundred twenty-five dollars | R.C. 2329.66(A)(1) | Per filer; spouses can usually stack on a jointly owned home. |
| Motor vehicle (one) | Five thousand twenty-five dollars | R.C. 2329.66(A)(2) | Equity in a single vehicle. |
| Wildcard (any property) | One thousand six hundred seventy-five dollars | R.C. 2329.66(A)(18) | Applies in bankruptcy; covers anything not otherwise exempt. |
| Household goods (per item) | Eight hundred dollars | R.C. 2329.66(A)(4) | Furnishings, appliances, and similar items. |
| Household goods (aggregate) | Sixteen thousand eight hundred fifty dollars | R.C. 2329.66(A)(4) | Total cap across the category. |
| Jewelry | Two thousand one hundred twenty-five dollars | R.C. 2329.66(A)(4) | Subset of personal property. |
| Tools of the trade | Three thousand two hundred dollars | R.C. 2329.66(A)(5) | Implements and professional books used to earn a living. |
| Cash / deposits | Six hundred twenty-five dollars | R.C. 2329.66(A)(3) | Money on hand or on deposit. |
These amounts come from the schedule the Ohio Judicial Conference published for the April first, twenty twenty-five adjustment, reflected on the federal bankruptcy court’s own notice for the Southern District of Ohio. They hold through March thirty-first, twenty twenty-eight, then change again. Because they round to the nearest twenty-five dollars and track inflation, the figures you find in an older article or even in some statute reprints can lag the real numbers, which is exactly why the indexing date matters when you rely on them.
The Three-Year Indexing Cycle
Ohio’s distinctive feature, and the one most guides get wrong.
Most states set exemption dollar amounts in the statute itself and only change them when the legislature passes a new bill, which can leave figures frozen for decades. Ohio does it differently. Revised Code section twenty-three twenty-nine point sixty-six directs that on April first, twenty ten, and on the first day of April in every third calendar year after that, the Ohio Judicial Conference shall adjust each dollar amount in the section to reflect any increase in the consumer price index for all urban consumers published by the U.S. Department of Labor, with each adjustment rounded to the nearest twenty-five dollars.
So the body that raises Ohio’s exemptions is the Judicial Conference, not the Ohio General Assembly and not the Tax Commissioner, and it does so on a fixed three-year rhythm: twenty ten, twenty thirteen, twenty sixteen, twenty nineteen, twenty twenty-two, and most recently twenty twenty-five. The Conference prepares a memorandum of the new amounts and transmits it to the Legislative Service Commission for publication in the Register of Ohio. The next scheduled adjustment is April first, twenty twenty-eight. Practically, this means the codified numbers in the bare statute text often read lower than the amounts actually in force, because the live figure is the latest indexed memorandum, not the original enacted number.
What a Creditor Can Still Reach
Exemptions protect a lot, but not everything.
Equity Above the Cap
Home equity beyond the homestead figure, or vehicle equity over five thousand twenty-five dollars, is not protected and can be reached.
Second Properties
The homestead exemption applies to a primary residence. Rental units, vacation homes, and vacant land fall outside it.
Luxury and Collectibles
High-value items past the per-item and aggregate household caps, beyond the jewelry limit, are exposed.
Non-Exempt Investments
Brokerage accounts and non-retirement investments generally are not covered by the personal-property exemptions.
Fraudulently Transferred Assets
Property a debtor moved to a relative or shell to dodge collection can be unwound and pulled back into the estate.
Non-Dischargeable Debts
Some obligations survive a discharge entirely, so the debtor stays personally on the hook regardless of exemptions.
For a creditor, the exemption schedule is really a map of where the recoverable value sits. The homestead caps the protected home equity, but a property with equity well above the limit, a second home, or an asset quietly retitled to a family member can all be fair game. Finding that exposed value is a public-records question, and it pairs with our guidance on how to find hidden assets and on which assets can be seized to satisfy a judgment. Ohio’s exemption rules also sit beside related collection limits we cover in our Ohio asset exemptions guide for creditors.
Retirement, and How Chapter Matters
Two points that change the protected picture.
Retirement is largely protected outside the dollar caps. Tax-qualified retirement plans, pensions, and most individual retirement accounts are exempt under their own provisions of Ohio law and federal bankruptcy law, rather than being squeezed into the household or wildcard figures. The protection is broad but not unlimited; the cap on traditional and Roth individual retirement accounts is set federally and is itself inflation-adjusted, so the exempt slice of an oversized account is not infinite. The mechanics differ enough that this is worth confirming with counsel for any sizeable account.
The chapter changes the question. In Chapter Seven the trustee may liquidate non-exempt property, so the exemptions decide what physically stays with the debtor. In Chapter Thirteen the debtor usually keeps the property and instead must pay unsecured creditors at least the value of the non-exempt assets through a repayment plan. Either way, the same Ohio exemption figures drive the math; they set the line between what is shielded and what must be paid for or surrendered. The wildcard in subsection eighteen, notably, is available in bankruptcy specifically and can be layered onto an otherwise exposed asset to shave the non-exempt amount.
How We Help Creditors
We locate people and surface non-exempt value through public records.
Send What You Know
A name, last known address, business ties, or a case number gives us a starting point for the search.
We Research Records
We pull from public records and licensed databases to locate the person and map property, business interests, and ties.
We Flag Exposure
We surface assets that sit outside the exemption caps or look transferred, so your counsel can weigh recovery options.
You Act With Counsel
You receive a documented report. Your attorney decides on enforcement, objection, or recovery strategy.
Who We Help
We do the records research; your attorney handles the law.
Creditors
Debtors located, exposure mapped
Attorneys & Paralegals
Asset and locate research
Collections
Skip tracing for enforcement
Judgment Holders
Non-exempt value identified
Lenders
Borrowers traced and verified
Bankruptcy Counsel
Trustee-side records support
Whichever side you are on, the exemption schedule only tells you the rules; it does not tell you where a specific debtor’s property actually is. That is the locate-and-research gap we fill. We are a public-records research firm, not a law firm and not a credit reporting agency, so we provide investigative records research for lawful, permissible purposes and leave the legal conclusions to your counsel. The same record-mapping work supports filings in other states, including our companion guide on Kansas bankruptcy exemptions. For a legitimate creditor or legal matter, a verified locate typically comes back within 24 hours.
Our Commitment
We deliver lawful, documented public-records research so creditors and counsel can see past the exemption schedule to where recoverable value actually sits. Records-based locating and asset research for legitimate legal and creditor matters since 2004.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Ohio bankruptcy filers use the federal exemptions?
Generally no. Ohio is an opt-out state, so most Ohio filers must use the state exemptions in Revised Code section twenty-three twenty-nine point sixty-six rather than the federal list in eleven U.S. Code section five twenty-two. Residency rules can change which state’s exemptions apply if you moved recently, which is a question for counsel.
How much is the Ohio homestead exemption right now?
For the period beginning April first, twenty twenty-five, the homestead exemption is one hundred eighty-two thousand six hundred twenty-five dollars in equity per filer. Spouses who jointly own their home can usually stack the exemption. The figure holds through March thirty-first, twenty twenty-eight, then reindexes.
Why do the Ohio exemption amounts keep changing?
Ohio indexes its exemptions for inflation. Revised Code section twenty-three twenty-nine point sixty-six requires the Ohio Judicial Conference to adjust every dollar amount to the consumer price index every third April, rounded to the nearest twenty-five dollars. The most recent adjustment took effect April first, twenty twenty-five.
Who adjusts the Ohio exemption figures?
The Ohio Judicial Conference, not the legislature or the Tax Commissioner. It prepares a memorandum of the new amounts and transmits it to the Legislative Service Commission, which publishes it in the Register of Ohio. The next scheduled adjustment is April first, twenty twenty-eight.
What is the Ohio motor vehicle and wildcard exemption?
A single motor vehicle is protected up to five thousand twenty-five dollars in equity under subsection two. The wildcard exemption of one thousand six hundred seventy-five dollars under subsection eighteen applies in bankruptcy and can be layered onto any property not otherwise exempt.
Are retirement accounts protected in Ohio bankruptcy?
Largely yes. Tax-qualified plans, pensions, and most individual retirement accounts are exempt under their own provisions of Ohio and federal law, outside the household and wildcard caps. The exemption for individual retirement accounts is itself capped and inflation-adjusted, so very large accounts may not be fully protected. Confirm specifics with counsel.
What can a creditor still reach despite the exemptions?
Equity above the homestead and vehicle caps, second properties, high-value items past the household and jewelry limits, non-retirement investments, and assets transferred to dodge collection. Some debts are also non-dischargeable, so the debtor stays personally liable regardless of the exemptions.
Do you give legal advice or file bankruptcy paperwork?
No. We are a public-records research firm, not a law firm or a credit reporting agency. We locate people and surface property and asset information through public records and licensed databases for lawful purposes. For advice on a filing or enforcement, consult a licensed Ohio bankruptcy attorney.
Need to Find a Debtor’s Non-Exempt Assets?
We locate Ohio debtors and surface property and asset information through lawful public-records research, so your counsel can see what sits past the exemption caps, typically within 24 hours. Contact us to get started.
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