California Bankruptcy Exemptions Set No. Two

Written by Adam Peck Category: Nursing Homes January 23rd, 2013 3 min read

Homestead – Unused portion of homestead may be applied to any property. D $20,725
Insurance:

Disability or health benefits
Life insurance proceeds or avails needed for support
Unmatured life insurance contract accrued avails to $11,075
Unmatured life insurance policy other than credit

Miscellaneous

Alimony, child support needed for support

Pensions

ERISA qualified benefits needed for support

Personal Property

Animals, crops, appliances, furnishings, household goods, books, musical instruments and clothing to $525 per item
Burial plot to $20,725, in lieu of homestead
Health Aids
Jewelry to $1,350
Motor vehicle to $3,300
Personal injury recoveries to $20,775 (not to include pain and suffering or pecuniary loss)
Wrongful death recoveries needed for support

Public Benefits

Crime victims’ compensation
Public Assistance
Social Security
Unemployment benefits
Veterans’ benefits

Tools of Trade
$2,075
Wild Card

$1,100 of any property plus unused portion of homestead or burial exemption of any property. Total wildcard = $21,825

NOTE: These are the major bankruptcy exemptions.
Check with your bankruptcy lawyer for a full exemptions list.

Homesteads:
The exemption for a homestead is limited to $125,000 if the property was acquired within the previous 1215 day (3.3 years). The cap is not applicable to any interest transferred from a debtor’s previous principal residence (which was acquired prior to the beginning of such 1215-day period) ;
The value of the state homestead exemption is reduced by any addition to the value brought about on account of a disposition of nonexempt property made by the debtor (made with the intent to hinder, delay, or defraud creditors) during the 10 years prior to the bankruptcy filing.
An absolute $125,000 homestead cap applies if either:
the court determines that the debtor has beeen convicted of a felony demonstrating that the filing of the case was a abuse of the provision of the Bankruptcy Code; or
the debtor owes a debt arising from a violation of federal or state securities laws, fiduciary fraud, racketeering, or crimes or intentional torts that caused serious bodily injury or death in the preceeding 5 years. NOTE: This limitation is inapplicable if the homestead property is “reasonably necessary for the support of the debtor and any dependent of the debtor.”
The state you use for your exemptions is:

The state you lived in for the 730 days (2 years) before filing; or
If you did not live in a single state in the previous 2 years you use the state where you lived the majority of the 180 period preceding the 2 year period; or
If the preceding renders you ineligible for any exemptions then the debtor is allowed to choose the federal exemptions.
Pension Plans exempt from seizure:

Employee contributions to ERISA qualified retirement plans, deferred compensation plans, tax-deferred annuities, and health insurance plans.

Education Funds exempt from seizure:

Funds placed in an educational retirement account or qualified State tuition programs at least 365 days prior to a bankruptcy filing, within the limits established by the Internal Revenue Code, and for the benefit of a child or grandchild of the debtor, are excluded from the debtor’s estate, with a $5,000 limit on funds contributed between one and two years before the filing.

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Written by Adam Peck

Expertise: Personal Injury

Adam J. Peck, ESQ is a principal with Peck Law Group, APC. In 2008, Mr. Adam Peck received his Juris Doctorate from Whittier Law School where he graduated Cum Laude. His practice is primarily dedicated to representing Elders, Dependent Adults, along with their loved ones and family members, who have suffered horrific personal injuries.