Louisiana Bankruptcy Exemptions 2020
Written by Upsolve Team.
Updated April 9, 2020
It's important to understand what the exemptions for Louisiana are and how they're most often used in a bankruptcy case.
How Do Exemptions Work?
When you file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, one of the biggest questions is whether or not you will be able to keep your property.
That depends on which property exemptions you can use on your bankruptcy forms. They are called exemptions because they “exempt” -- or “excuse” -- certain property from being taken. In most cases, exemptions protect most day-to-day items that you own, unless you have expensive property like a house or a car.
Certain exemptions protect entire categories of property like retirements accounts, regardless of value. Other exemptions only protect specific property like a vehicle up to a certain value.
If you're looking for a deep understanding of bankruptcy exemptions, read this article.
Does Louisiana allow federal exemptions?
Louisiana does not recognize the federal exemptions.
Every state has its own set of property exemptions. And some states also allow you choose between their exemptions and a set of federal bankruptcy exemptions. When they do, they will generally let you to choose the system that is the best fit for you. Although some states allow you to use the federal bankruptcy exemptions, others do not.
Louisiana Exemptions
11 U.S.C. § 522(b)(3)(C)
Most people use 11 U.S.C. § 522(b)(3)(C) to cover tax exempt retirement accounts. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(7)
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(7) to cover motor vehicle (one per household). For single debtors filing, it has a coverage limit of $7,500. This exemption has a limit to the number of assets it can cover.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(4)
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(4) to cover household goods. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(4)(d)
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(4)(d) to cover musical instruments. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(4)(g)
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(4)(g) to cover firearms, arms and ammunition. For single debtors filing, it has a coverage limit of $2,500.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(4)(a)
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(4)(a) to cover clothing. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(5)
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(5) to cover engagement and wedding rings. For single debtors filing, it has a coverage limit of $5,000.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(4)(f)
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(4)(f) to cover pets. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:1378
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:1378 to cover judges retirement. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:1583
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:1583 to cover district attorney retirement. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:1403
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:1403 to cover assessors retirement. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:2263
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:2263 to cover firefighter retirement. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:2263
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:2263 to cover court clerk retirement. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:704
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:704 to cover teacher retirement. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:2182
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:2182 to cover sheriff retirement. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:405
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:405 to cover state employee retirement. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:2033
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:2033 to cover voting registrar retirement. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (D)(1)
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (D)(1) to cover erisa benefits. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:1735
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:1735 to cover municipal employee retirement. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:1905
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:1905 to cover parochial employee retirement. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:1003
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 11:1003 to cover school employees benefits. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22:912
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22:912 to cover annuity contract proceeds. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22:912 (C); La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 17:3095
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22:912 (C); La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 17:3095 to cover education savings account. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 9:2004
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 9:2004 to cover spendthrift trusts. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 46:111
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 46:111 to cover public assistance. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3951
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3951 to cover wages earned out of state. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22:298
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22:298 to cover fraternal society benefits. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(1)
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(1) to cover unpaid disposable weekly earnings - 75% or 30 times federal min hourly wage per week. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 23:1693
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 23:1693 to cover unemployment compensation. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 23:1693
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 23:1693 to cover gift or bonus payments. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(6)
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(6) to cover earned income tax credit. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 46:1811
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 46:1811 to cover crime victim compensation. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(3)
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(3) to cover property of minor child. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 23:1205
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 23:1205 to cover workers' compensation. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(9)
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(9) to cover disaster relief insurance proceeds for exempt property. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22:1015
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22:1015 to cover health, accident or disability proceeds. For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22:1015
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22:1015 to cover life insurance proceeds (if policy issued within 9 months of filing). For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22:944
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22:944 to cover life insurance (group). For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(2)
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(2) to cover tools of trade. For single debtors filing, it has a coverage limit of $7,175.
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(4)(e)
Most people use La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881 (A)(4)(e) to cover farm animals (poultry, fowl, and one cow kept for the use of his family). For single debtors filing, it has no coverage limit.
Louisiana Exemptions F.A.Q.
Bankruptcy exemptions protect the equity in certain property. Property that is exempt cannot be used to pay debts. Therefore, a debtor is permitted to keep all exempt property. If you have more questions about exemptions, check out this article.
For expanded descriptions, go to the exemption page for Louisiana. Below are common questions people have about assets and exemptions:
