Ohio bankruptcy exemptions are the state-law rules that decide which property you keep when you file. The headline numbers, in effect from April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2028: up to $182,625 in home equity, $5,025 in one vehicle, $16,850 in household goods (no single item above $800), $2,125 in jewelry, $3,200 in tools of your trade, $400 in cash and bank deposits, and a $1,075 wildcard you can apply to anything.1United States Bankruptcy Court. Southern District of Ohio – April 1, 2025, Ohio Exemption Increases Most retirement savings, Social Security, workers’ compensation, and unemployment benefits are protected without a dollar cap.
You Must Use Ohio’s List, Not the Federal One
Ohio has opted out of the federal bankruptcy exemption system. State law specifically prohibits Ohio-domiciled debtors from using the federal exemptions in the Bankruptcy Reform Act.2Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 2329.662 Everything you claim comes from Ohio Revised Code Section 2329.66.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 2329.66 – Exempted Interests and Rights
A few federal non-bankruptcy protections still apply on top of the state list. Social Security benefits, veterans’ benefits, and federal employee pensions have their own federal statutes that shield them from creditors no matter which state list you use.
To claim Ohio’s exemptions you must have been domiciled in Ohio for at least 730 days before filing. If you moved in more recently, you generally use the exemption list of the state where you previously lived. If that prior state’s own rules disqualify you, federal law lets you fall back on the federal list as a backstop.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 522 – Exemptions
The dollar figures below are the amounts in effect from April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2028. Ohio adjusts them every three years, so confirm the current numbers as of your filing date.1United States Bankruptcy Court. Southern District of Ohio – April 1, 2025, Ohio Exemption Increases
Home Equity: Up to $182,625
The homestead exemption protects up to $182,625 of equity in the property you or a dependent uses as a primary residence, whether that is a house, condominium, or mobile home. Equity is market value minus mortgages and other liens. A $300,000 home with a $200,000 mortgage holds $100,000 in equity, well inside the cap.
Burial lots sit under a separate subsection of the statute with no dollar cap. They are not part of the homestead figure, even though summaries sometimes lump them together.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 2329.66 – Exempted Interests and Rights
Motor Vehicle: Up to $5,025 in One Car
You can protect up to $5,025 of equity in a single motor vehicle. If you still owe on the car, equity is market value minus loan balance. A $12,000 car with a $10,000 loan has $2,000 in equity, fully covered. A paid-off $12,000 car has $12,000 in equity, and the $6,975 above the cap is exposed unless another exemption reaches it.
The vehicle exemption applies to one vehicle. A second car, motorcycle, or boat gets no vehicle-specific protection, though the wildcard can pick up a small amount of equity.
Household Goods, Jewelry, Cash, and Health Aids
Ohio caps each category of everyday property separately.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 2329.66 – Exempted Interests and Rights
- Household goods and furnishings: $16,850 total for furniture, appliances, clothing, books, animals, musical instruments, firearms, and similar items. No single item can be protected above $800.
- Jewelry held for personal or family use: $2,125 total.
- Cash on hand, bank deposits, tax refunds, and money owed to you due within 90 days: $400. A checking balance of $2,000 on your filing date leaves $1,600 exposed.
- Health aids that are professionally prescribed or medically necessary, including wheelchairs, prosthetics, and hearing aids: fully exempt with no dollar limit.
Value household goods at replacement value, which is what a retailer would charge for a used item of comparable age and condition. Most furniture and appliances depreciate enough that a typical filer stays well under the $16,850 cap.
Tools of the Trade: Up to $3,200
If you rely on equipment to earn a living, you can protect up to $3,200 in total for tools, professional books, and implements used in your trade or business. The cap is aggregate, covering everything work-related combined. Self-employed filers with expensive equipment often feel this limit first.
Wages
Earned but unpaid wages are protected at the greater of two amounts: 75 percent of your disposable earnings for the pay period, or a floor tied to the federal minimum wage (30 times the hourly rate for a weekly paycheck, 60 times for biweekly, and so on). Disposable earnings means take-home pay after legally required deductions like taxes and Social Security. For most filers the 75 percent calculation gives more protection; the minimum-wage floor matters for lower-wage workers.
Retirement Accounts and Pensions
Retirement savings receive some of the strongest protection in Ohio. Public-employee pensions, including OPERS, STRS, the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund, and the Highway Patrol retirement system, are exempt under their own dedicated statutes with no dollar cap.
Private-sector pensions and retirement benefits paid on account of disability, age, or length of service are protected to the extent “reasonably necessary” for your support and your dependents’ support. Courts decide that case by case, but the standard is generous enough that most private pensions come through intact.
IRAs and Roth IRAs are exempt under Ohio law. Federal bankruptcy law separately caps the IRA exemption at $1,711,975 for cases filed between April 2025 and April 2028, combining traditional and Roth balances.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 522 – Exemptions Employer-sponsored 401(k) and 403(b) plans sit outside that cap because ERISA gives them unlimited creditor protection in bankruptcy.
Public Benefits and Insurance
Several income streams are fully exempt without a dollar limit:
- Social Security benefits, shielded from the bankruptcy estate under federal law.
- Workers’ compensation benefits.
- Unemployment compensation.
- Disability benefits and payments from Ohio’s public assistance programs.
Life insurance and annuity contracts are also protected, through Ohio Revised Code Section 3911.10 rather than through a flat dollar cap in the exemptions statute.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 2329.66 – Exempted Interests and Rights
The Wildcard: $1,075 for Anything
Ohio provides a $1,075 wildcard exemption you can apply to any property, regardless of category. It’s an aggregate cap, not per item, and it’s available only in bankruptcy, not in ordinary judgment-collection. The federal exemption system lets filers roll unused homestead into the wildcard; Ohio does not, because Ohio has opted out of that system. Even so, $1,075 closes small gaps, like a bank balance that exceeds the $400 cash cap or a bit of equity in a second vehicle.
Married Couples Filing Jointly Get Two Sets
Spouses who file a joint petition can each claim a full set of Ohio exemptions, effectively doubling every dollar limit: $365,250 in combined homestead protection, $10,050 across two vehicles, $33,700 in household goods, and so on. Doubling applies to jointly owned property or where each spouse has their own interest in separate property. If only one spouse holds equity in the home, only that spouse’s exemption reaches it. Joint filing is not required, and running the numbers both ways is worthwhile when one spouse holds significant non-exempt assets and the other does not.
How to Actually Claim Your Exemptions
Exemptions don’t apply on their own. You have to list every asset you want to protect on Schedule C of your bankruptcy petition, name the specific Ohio statute that covers it, and assign a value.5United States Courts. Schedule C – The Property You Claim as Exempt An asset left off Schedule C has no exemption protection, even if it would have qualified. Use replacement value for personal property and a pricing guide like Kelley Blue Book or NADA for vehicles.
After you file, the trustee and creditors have 30 days after the conclusion of your Section 341 meeting of creditors to object to any claimed exemption. If no one objects in that window, your exemptions become final. The court can extend the deadline on request, and in fraud cases the trustee has up to 12 months after the case closes to challenge. Most objections target inflated values or a statute that doesn’t actually cover the item, so accurate valuations and correct citations on Schedule C head off most disputes.
What Exemptions Do in Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 13
In a Chapter 7 case the trustee can sell any asset that isn’t covered by an exemption and pay the proceeds to creditors. If your car is worth $8,000 free and clear and the vehicle exemption reaches only $5,025, the trustee can sell it, give you $5,025, and distribute the remaining $2,975. Exemptions decide directly what stays with you.
In Chapter 13 you keep all of your property. Exemptions still matter because the value of your non-exempt assets sets the floor for how much you must repay unsecured creditors over three to five years. Missing an exemption in Chapter 13 does not cost you the asset, but it can raise your plan payments by thousands of dollars.