You can protect property in a Washington bankruptcy using either Washington's exemption laws or the federal exemptions.
Washington bankruptcy exemptions let you keep your home, car, retirement accounts, and other property you need for a fresh start when you file bankruptcy. In Washington, you have the option of choosing between the Washington state exemption laws and the federal bankruptcy exemptions. This article explains how each list works and what happens to property you can't protect.
Choosing an Exemption List in a Washington Bankruptcy
Although you have two choices—the Washington state exemptions or the federal bankruptcy exemptions—you can't mix and match exemptions from each set. You must pick one list. To help you compare, we've charted both exemption sets below. If you select Washington's state exemptions, you can also use the federal nonbankruptcy exemptions.
|
Federal Bankruptcy Exemptions Amounts valid between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2028. |
Washington Bankruptcy Exemption Amounts adjust periodically. |
|
|
Homestead Exemption |
(11 U.S.C. § 522(d)(1); amounts valid April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2028.) |
Wash. Rev. Code §§ 6.13.010, 6.13.020, 6.13.030 |
|
Motor Vehicle Exemption |
(11 U.S.C. § 522(d)(2); amount valid April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2028.) |
Wash. Rev. Code § 6.15.010(1)(d)(iv) |
|
Tools of the Trade Exemption |
(11 U.S.C. § 522(d)(6); amount valid April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2028.) |
Wash. Rev. Code § 6.15.010(1)(e) |
|
Wildcard Exemption |
11 USC § 522(d)(5) |
Wash. Rev. Code § 6.15.010(1)(d)(ii) |
|
Personal Property Exemptions |
(11 U.S.C. §§ 522(d)(3)–(6), (9)–(11); amounts valid April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2028.) |
Wash. Rev. Code §§ 6.15.010(1)(a) - (1)(d) |
|
Retirement Accounts |
(11 U.S.C. §§ 522(b)(3)(C), (n); amounts valid April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2028.) Note: These retirement accounts are exempt under the federal rules even if the filer uses state exemptions. |
Wash. Rev. Code §§ 6.15.020(1) - (3) |
|
Available Federal Exemptions |
||
|
Where to Find Statutes |
Other Washington Bankruptcy Exemptions
Below, you'll find more Washington exemptions. However, it’s not an exhaustive list. Also, as with all laws, exemption laws can change. Be sure to check for current amounts and read the statute for qualification requirements (we haven’t included them here).
Washington Pension and Retirement Exemptions
- 2.10.180, 2.12.090 - Judges
- 41.24.240 - Volunteer firefighters
- 41.26.053 - Law enforcement officials and firefighters
- 41.44.240 - City employees
- 41.32.052 - Teachers
- 43.43.310 - State patrol officers
Washington Public and Charitable Benefit Exemptions
- 7.68.070, 51.32.040 - Crime victim's compensation
- 48.36A.180 - Fraternal Benefit Society benefits
- 50.40.020 - Unemployment compensation
- 51.32.040 - Industrial insurance (workers' compensation)
- 74.04.280 - General assistance and public benefits
- 74.13.070 - Funds of children placed with welfare services
Washington Insurance Exemptions
- 48.18.400 - Disability benefits
- 48.18.410 - Life insurance proceeds
- 48.18.420 - Group life insurance proceeds
- 48.18.430 - Annuity contract proceeds up to $3,000 per month
Miscellaneous Washington Exemptions
- 6.27.150 - Wages, salary, or other compensation (check amounts).
- 38.40.150 - Uniforms and firearms
- 72.65.060 - Earnings of work release prisoners
How to Verify Available Exemptions in Washington
Almost everyone who files for bankruptcy benefits from meeting with a bankruptcy lawyer. A local bankruptcy attorney will ensure a smooth and uneventful bankruptcy by complying with filing requirements and helping you protect all possible property.
What Happens to Property You Can't Exempt in a Washington Bankruptcy?
Nonexempt property is handled differently depending on which chapter you file. In Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the bankruptcy trustee assigned to your case will sell nonexempt property and distribute the proceeds to your creditors. In Chapter 13, you keep all your property, but you pay your creditors the value of any nonexempt property through your repayment plan.
Here's what would happen in each chapter if you owned a car worth $3,000 and you used the federal vehicle exemption of $5,025:
- Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. You keep the car because the exemption covers the full value. But if the car were worth $15,000, the trustee would sell it, pay you $5,025 for the exemption, and distribute the rest to your unsecured creditors.
- Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. You keep the car no matter what. But if it were worth $15,000, you'd have to pay creditors at least $9,975 (minus sales costs) through your plan.
Keep in mind these examples don't account for a vehicle loan. More on that below.
How Do You Protect a Financed Home or Car in a Washington Bankruptcy?
Filing for bankruptcy doesn't let you walk away from a mortgage or car loan and keep the property. If you still owe money, you must pay as agreed. When you bought the property, you gave the lender a lien on it, which is a secured debt that survives bankruptcy and lets the lender foreclose or repossess if you stop paying.
Protecting Financed Property in Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
Chapter 7 has no mechanism to catch up on missed payments over time. Your mortgage or car loan must be current when you file. Fall behind, and you'll likely lose the property. The lender will ask the court to allow foreclosure or repossession during the case or shortly after.
Protecting Financed Property in Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
Chapter 13 lets you keep property you're financing even if you're behind on payments. You can pay the arrears through your three- to five-year plan while continuing to make regular monthly payments. Before the judge approves your plan, you'll need to show you can afford both.
Some filers can also reduce what they owe by cramming down an auto loan to the car's current value or stripping a junior mortgage or lien from a home, when the law allows it. Learn more about catching up on arrearages in Chapter 13 and how mortgages work in bankruptcy.
Washington Bankruptcy Exemption Timing Rules
You can't move to a state with better exemptions right before filing and expect them to apply. Federal law requires you to have lived in a state for at least two years before you can use its exemptions. (11 U.S.C. § 522(b)(3)(A).) If you haven't, you'll use the exemptions of the state where you lived the longest during the 180 days immediately before the two-year period before your filing date.
Here's a simple way to figure it out. Count back two and a half years from your planned filing date. Then ask yourself where you lived the longest during the first six months of that period. That's the state whose exemptions you use.
Example. Suppose you planned to file on January 1, 2027. Your two-and-a-half-year window would start July 1, 2024. You'd use the exemptions of whichever state you lived in the most from July 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024. You wouldn't have to file there, just use that state's exemption list.
Next Steps
Choosing the right exemption list is one of the most important decisions you'll make in a Washington bankruptcy, but there's a lot more involved in filing:
- Learn what you should know about filing for bankruptcy.
- See if you qualify to erase debt in a Chapter 7 case.
- Find out how Chapter 13 solves more problems than Chapter 7.
- Learn about timing your bankruptcy filing and when it makes sense to delay.
Take our bankruptcy quiz to identify potential issues and learn how to best proceed with your bankruptcy case.
|
In This Article