Missouri Bankruptcy Exemption Amounts 2026

One thing this page will not do is hand you a tidy list of "the 2026 dollar amounts," and that is on purpose. Exemption figures are written into the Missouri statutes, and they can change without much public notice. Stating a specific number here risks telling you something that is out of date by the time you read it — and in bankruptcy, an outdated number can be the difference between keeping and losing an asset. So instead of memorizing a figure, learn which statute governs each category and always verify the current statutory amount before you rely on it. Treat any number you see anywhere — including in this article — as an amount you must confirm in the current version of the statute.

Missouri opted out of the federal exemptions (RSMo § 513.427)

Federal bankruptcy law contains its own menu of exemptions, sometimes called the "522(d) list" after the Bankruptcy Code section that creates it. But Congress let each state decide whether its residents may use that federal list or must use the state's own exemptions instead. Missouri made its choice: it opted out of the federal scheme in RSMo § 513.427.

The practical effect is important. A Missouri filer cannot pick the federal exemption list. You must use Missouri's exemptions, which live in Chapter 513 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri. This matters because the federal figures and the Missouri figures are different, are set by different lawmaking bodies, and change on different schedules. When you read a national article quoting "the federal bankruptcy exemptions," remember that those numbers do not apply to a Missouri case. The figures that govern your case are the Missouri ones in Chapter 513.

The main Missouri exemption categories (Chapter 513)

Missouri's exemptions are organized by category, with a dollar cap attached to most of them. Rather than commit to specific current amounts, focus on the categories and the statutes that set them.

The homestead exemption, in RSMo § 513.475, protects equity in your primary residence up to a statutory dollar cap, with a related provision covering a mobile home used as a residence. The personal property exemptions, in RSMo § 513.430, protect a list of everyday items up to specified values — household goods and furnishings, clothing, books, certain jewelry, tools of your trade, and a motor vehicle up to a set value, among others. That same statute shields certain categories such as health aids and various benefits.

Missouri also recognizes a head-of-family exemption, which gives a debtor who heads a household an additional protected amount, with a further allowance for each dependent child. And there is a small "wildcard" exemption — a dollar amount you can apply to any property of your choosing, useful for protecting cash, a tax refund, or extra equity that no specific category covers. Each of these carries its own dollar figure set by statute, and each of those figures is something you must verify in the current statute rather than assume.

Why the amounts matter and how to find the current figure

In a Chapter 7 case, the exemption caps decide whether an asset is safe or whether a trustee can sell it. If your equity in an item fits within the exemption limit, the trustee has nothing to take; if it exceeds the limit, the excess may be available to creditors. Because the outcome turns on the precise current cap, using a stale number can produce a badly wrong prediction.

To find the figure that actually governs your case, go to the current, official text of the relevant Chapter 513 statute — for example, RSMo § 513.430 for personal property or RSMo § 513.475 for the homestead — and read the dollar amount as it appears in the version in force on your filing date. Do not rely on a number copied from an older guide, a summary chart, or even this page. The statute as currently enacted is what controls, and confirming it is a short step that protects you from a costly surprise.

How and when the amounts change

Missouri's exemption figures are fixed dollar amounts written into the statutes. They are not automatically tied to inflation, and they do not rise on a set calendar. An amount changes only when the Missouri General Assembly passes a bill amending the statute and that change takes effect. That means a figure can sit unchanged for years, then jump when the legislature acts — and it also means there is no built-in schedule telling you when to expect a revision.

This is the core reason to verify every time. Because the change is legislative rather than mechanical, you cannot reliably predict the current number by adjusting an old one for inflation. The only dependable approach is to check the current statutory text directly whenever the amount matters to a decision.

Federal vs. Missouri exemptions

It helps to keep the two systems straight, even though Missourians use only the state one. The federal exemption amounts in the Bankruptcy Code are adjusted on a recurring schedule — the federal figures are revised every three years to account for inflation. That automatic adjustment is a feature of the federal list, not the Missouri list.

Missouri works differently in two ways. First, as noted, Missourians cannot use the federal exemptions at all because of the opt-out in RSMo § 513.427. Second, the Missouri amounts do not adjust automatically every three years or on any other fixed cycle; they move only when the legislature amends Chapter 513. So if you have read that bankruptcy exemptions "go up every three years," understand that the statement describes the federal scheme — the one Missouri filers do not use — and not the Missouri figures that will actually apply to your case.

When to talk to a lawyer

Exemptions look simple until they meet real facts — a house with uncertain equity, a paid-off vehicle worth more than you expected, a tax refund coming in, or a married couple wondering which exemptions they can double. Small differences in how an asset is valued or which exemption is claimed can change what you keep. Because the dollar caps and how they apply turn on the current statute and your specific situation, it is worth having a qualified Missouri bankruptcy attorney review your assets and the exemptions you plan to claim before you file. A short consultation can catch a problem while it is still fixable.