In this post we list the Minnesota bankruptcy exemptions.
In an earlier post we told you about what items were exempt in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy (meaning you get to keep them). Items that are not exempt may be taken by the trustee to pay your creditors. Although the great majority of Chapter 7 cases are no-asset, meaning that the debtor loses no property, people are often concerned about whether their property is exempt. In Minnesota, you can choose either the Minnesota bankruptcy exemptions or the federal exemptions, depending on which are more advantageous to you. In this post, we compare the two sets of exemptions for some of the most common property items:
| Item | Federal exemption | Minnesota exemption |
| Your home | $21,625 | $360,000 |
| Wildcard (any property) | $11,975 (of unused homestead exemption) | None |
| Household goods and clothes | $11,525 | $9,900 |
| Jewelry | $1,450 | $2,595 (only wedding rings) |
| Motor vehicle | $3,450 | $4,400 |
| Tools of the trade | $2,175 | $11,000 |
| Life insurance policy with loan value | $11,525 | $8,800 |
| IRA, 401k, ERISA pension | $1,171,650 | $1,171,650 |
| Personal injury compensation payments | $21,625 | Unlimited |
| Social security benefits | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Child support | Unlimited | Unlimited |
By the way, the exemptions change every so often, so these may not always stay the same. The Minnesota bankruptcy exemptions are complicated, and don’t always apply exactly how they would appear to. Consult a bankruptcy attorney to find out whether a particular item of yours would be exempt in a Chapter 7 case.
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Tags: chapter 7, exemptions, homestead, Minneapolis bankruptcy attorney, Minnesota bankruptcy attorney, wildcard
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