What property can you keep if you file bankruptcy in Utah? More than most people expect. Utah exemption law protects your home equity up to $53,700 per owner ($107,500 for a couple on a joint residence), one vehicle per filer up to $3,000, retirement accounts in full, household appliances, clothing, beds and bedding, and, new in 2026, the portion of your tax refund that comes from the Earned Income Tax Credit or a child tax credit. In the vast majority of the 5,800+ cases we have filed since 1997, our clients kept everything they owned.

Utah is an opt-out state, so these Utah exemptions, not the federal bankruptcy exemptions, are the list that applies in a Utah bankruptcy. Here is the complete picture as of 2026, with the real dollar amounts.

The homestead exemption: $53,700 per owner

Utah Code § 78B-5-503 protects equity in your primary personal residence up to $53,700 per individual in 2026, and up to $107,500 total for a household where two owners, usually spouses, claim the same home. For real property that is not your primary residence, the amounts are $6,400 and $12,800. The Utah State Auditor recalculates these figures every January for inflation, so they rise a little each year.

Two things people get wrong about the homestead. First, it protects equity, not value. A $500,000 house with a $420,000 mortgage has $80,000 of equity, and a married couple filing together can protect $107,500, so that house is safe. Second, if you sell, the exempt proceeds stay protected for one year, which gives you time to put them into a new home.

The vehicle exemption: $3,000, and why it is still that low

Each filer can protect one motor vehicle up to $3,000 in equity under Utah Code § 78B-5-506(3). The exemption does not apply to boats, ATVs, or vehicles used primarily for recreation. Like the homestead, it is about equity: a car worth $14,000 with a $12,000 loan has $2,000 of equity and is fully protected.

That $3,000 figure has not changed since 2015, and the Legislature knows it is outdated. In the 2026 General Session, S.B. 143 would have raised the vehicle exemption to $15,000 and fully protected vehicles modified for a disability. It passed the Senate, cleared its House committee unanimously, and then died in House Rules when the session ran out on March 6, 2026. Until a future session finishes the job, $3,000 is the law, and careful planning around vehicle equity remains one of the most important parts of preparing a Utah case.

Household goods, clothing, and the $1,000 categories

Utah Code § 78B-5-505(1)(h) protects the following outright, with no dollar cap: one clothes washer, dryer, refrigerator, freezer, stove, microwave, and sewing machine, all carpets in use, a year's supply of food, all clothing for you and your dependents (but not jewelry or furs), and all beds and bedding.

Separately, § 78B-5-506(1) gives four categories capped at $1,000 each, per filer: sofas, chairs and related furnishings; dining and kitchen tables and chairs; animals, books and musical instruments; and heirlooms or items of particular sentimental value. In a joint case each spouse has their own set of caps, so a couple effectively doubles them. Used furniture values are garage-sale values, not replacement cost, so $1,000 covers more than it sounds like.

Retirement accounts, wages, and benefits

Retirement money is the most protected asset in a Utah bankruptcy. 401(k)s, 403(b)s, IRAs, Roth IRAs, pensions, and even inherited retirement accounts are exempt without any dollar limit under § 78B-5-505(1)(n). Cashing out a 401(k) to pay debts before talking to a bankruptcy lawyer is the single most expensive mistake we see, because that money was untouchable.

Also protected: Social Security, unemployment, disability and veterans benefits, child support you receive, alimony to the extent needed for support, compensatory personal injury proceeds, health aids, and a portion of wages you have earned but not yet been paid on filing day. Life insurance is protected too, but with a lookback: the cash value of a whole life policy is exempt except for payments made on the policy within the past year, and the one-year rule also applies to when the policy was taken out. Large recent premium payments are a planning issue to raise with your attorney before filing.

New for 2026: your EITC and Child Tax Credit refund

Senate Bill 112 took effect May 6, 2026 and added Utah Code § 78B-5-505(1)(s), which exempts the full amount of a federal tax refund attributable to the Earned Income Tax Credit or a child tax credit. For a working family with children that can protect $10,000 or more at tax time that used to go to the trustee. We wrote a full article on the new refund exemption. The portion of a refund that comes from ordinary over-withholding is still not exempt, so filing-date timing around tax season still matters.

Tools of trade, firearms, and education savings

Tools, implements and professional books actually used in your trade are protected up to $5,000 under § 78B-5-506(2), and a work vehicle can count toward that amount if the regular vehicle exemption is not applied to it. The statute also protects three firearms with up to 1,000 rounds of ammunition each, and Utah 529 education savings deposits made more than 18 months before filing, up to $200,000.

What is NOT exempt in Utah

Honesty about the gaps matters more than the list itself. Utah has no wildcard exemption, meaning no catch-all amount you can point at anything. Cash and money in bank accounts is generally not exempt unless it is traceable to an exempt source. Electronics like TVs, computers, and phones have no exemption of their own. Neither do cookware and dishes, ordinary jewelry, bicycles, sports and camping gear, a second vehicle, or boats, RVs, and off-highway vehicles.

Before you panic: in practice, trustees only pursue non-exempt property worth enough to be worth administering. Used personal goods rarely are. But equity in a second car, money in the bank on filing day, or a paid-off boat are exactly the kinds of things a case must be planned around, and that planning is what a consultation is for. Exempt income also stays protected from judgment creditors outside bankruptcy, which we explain in our article on stopping a wage garnishment in Utah.

Common questions

Do I lose everything that is not on the exempt list?
No. The trustee only takes non-exempt property when selling it would meaningfully pay creditors. Most Utah Chapter 7 cases are no-asset cases where the debtor keeps everything. When something is exposed, a Chapter 13 can protect it by paying its value through a plan instead.

Can I use the federal bankruptcy exemptions instead?
No. Utah opted out of the federal exemption list, so Utah's list controls, along with certain federal non-bankruptcy protections like Social Security.

My spouse and I are filing together. Do we double the exemptions?
Mostly yes. Each of you gets your own homestead amount, vehicle exemption, and $1,000 household categories. Jointly owned items can stack both spouses' exemptions, but one person cannot split a single vehicle exemption across two cars.

What happens if I claim too much or forget an asset?
Exemptions must be claimed correctly on Schedule C when the case is filed, and an asset that never gets listed gets no exemption at all. This is where experienced preparation earns its keep.

The list is only half the job

Exemption law decides what you keep, but applying it well, valuing assets correctly, timing the filing, and planning around the gaps is the craft. We have done it more than 5,800 times since 1997. Call or text (801) 388-0007 for a free consultation, and with true $0 down it costs nothing to find out exactly what you would keep.

This article is general information about Utah law, not legal advice about your specific situation. Exemption amounts shown are the 2026 figures.