12-1001.Personal property exempt.

Article XII. Judgments - Enforcement · Part 10. Exemption of Personal Property · Last amended 2026 · Last verified July 20, 2026

In one sentenceLists the personal property Illinois debtors can keep from judgment, attachment, or distress for rent, including household goods, capped equity in a vehicle and tools, health aids, certain benefit payments, and a general wildcard exemption.

Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/12-1001

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g)

The following personal property, owned by the debtor, is exempt from judgment, attachment, or distress for rent:

(a) All household goods, including but not limited to, the debtor's and the debtor's dependents' food, eating and cooking utensils, bedding, furniture, books, refrigerator, stove, microwave oven, kitchen appliances, necessary provisions, washing machine, clothes dryer, vacuum cleaner, yard equipment and household equipment and tools, all personal possessions, including, but not limited to, clothing, pets, personal health aids, medications, computers or similar electronic devices and telephones, except that a creditor may obtain court permission to levy on any item of furniture, appliance, electronic device, yard equipment, precious item, utensils, set of utensils, or any other item exempt under this subsection that has a resale value of more than $5,000 unless that item is exempt under another provision of this Section. The debtor may exempt one piece of jewelry up to a value of $5,000;

(b) The debtor's equity interest, not to exceed $4,000 in value, of which $1,000 is an automatic exemption pursuant to Section 12-1001.1, in any other property;

(d) The debtor's equity interest, not to exceed $2,250 in value, in any implements, professional books, or tools of the trade of the debtor;

(e) Professionally prescribed health aids for the debtor or a dependent of the debtor;

(f) All proceeds payable because of the death of the insured and the aggregate net cash value of any or all life insurance and endowment policies and annuity contracts payable to a wife or husband of the insured, or to a child, parent, or other person dependent upon the insured, or to a revocable or irrevocable trust which names the wife or husband of the insured or which names a child, parent, or other person dependent upon the insured as the primary beneficiary of the trust, whether the power to change the beneficiary is reserved to the insured or not and whether the insured or the insured's estate is a contingent beneficiary or not;

(g) The debtor's right to receive: (1) a social security benefit, unemployment compensation, or public assistance benefit; (2) a veteran's benefit; (3) a disability, illness, or unemployment benefit; and (4) alimony, support, or separate maintenance, to the extent reasonably necessary for the support of the debtor and any dependent of the debtor. (h) The debtor's right to receive, or property that is traceable to:

(1) an award under a crime victim's reparation law;

(2) a payment on account of the wrongful death of an individual of whom the debtor was a dependent, to the extent reasonably necessary for the support of the debtor;

(3) a payment under a life insurance contract that insured the life of an individual of whom the debtor was a dependent, to the extent reasonably necessary for the support of the debtor or a dependent of the debtor;

(4) a payment, not to exceed $22,500 in value, on account of personal bodily injury of the debtor or an individual of whom the debtor was a dependent; and

(5) any restitution payments made to persons pursuant to the federal Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and the Aleutian and Pribilof Island Restitution Act, P.L. 100-383. For purposes of this subsection (h), a debtor's right to receive an award or payment shall be exempt for a maximum of 2 years after the debtor's right to receive the award or payment accrues; property traceable to an award or payment shall be exempt for a maximum of 5 years after the award or payment accrues; and an award or payment and property traceable to an award or payment shall be exempt only to the extent of the amount of the award or payment, without interest or appreciation from the date of the award or payment. (i) The debtor's right to receive an award under Part 20 of Article II of this Code relating to crime victims' awards. (j) Moneys held in an account invested in the Illinois College Savings Pool of which the debtor is a participant or donor and funds invested in an ABLE Account as defined by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, except the following non-exempt contributions:

(1) any contribution to such account by the debtor as participant or donor that is made with the actual intent to hinder, delay, or defraud any creditor of the debtor;

(2) any contributions to such account by the debtor as participant during the 365 day period prior to the date of filing of the debtor's petition for bankruptcy that, in the aggregate during such period, exceed the amount of the annual gift tax exclusion under Section 2503(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, in effect at the time of contribution; or

(3) any contributions to such account by the debtor as participant during the period commencing 730 days prior to and ending 366 days prior to the date of filing of the debtor's petition for bankruptcy that, in the aggregate during such period, exceed the amount of the annual gift tax exclusion under Section 2503(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, in effect at the time of contribution. For purposes of this subsection (j), "account" includes all accounts for a particular designated beneficiary, of which the debtor is a participant or donor. Money due the debtor from the sale of any personal property that was exempt from judgment, attachment, or distress for rent at the time of the sale is exempt from attachment and garnishment to the same extent that the property would be exempt had the same not been sold by the debtor. If a debtor owns property exempt under this Section and he or she purchased that property with the intent of converting nonexempt property into exempt property or in fraud of his or her creditors, that property shall not be exempt from judgment, attachment, or distress for rent. Property acquired within 6 months of the filing of the petition for bankruptcy shall be presumed to have been acquired in contemplation of bankruptcy. The personal property exemptions set forth in this Section shall apply only to individuals and only to personal property that is used for personal rather than business purposes. The personal property exemptions set forth in this Section shall not apply to or be allowed against any money, salary, or wages due or to become due to the debtor that are required to be withheld in a wage deduction proceeding under Part 8 of this Article XII.

End

Plain-English Summary

This is Illinois's core list of what a debtor keeps regardless of a judgment, attachment, or distress for rent. It starts broad: household goods and personal possessions, from food and furniture to clothing, pets, and electronics. But a creditor can ask a court for permission to levy on a specific item — furniture, an appliance, an electronic device, yard equipment, or another item in that category — if its resale value tops $5,000 and it isn't exempt under another provision. A debtor may also keep one piece of jewelry worth up to $5,000.

Several categories carry their own dollar caps: a wildcard equity interest of up to $4,000 in any other property, of which $1,000 is an automatic exemption under a companion section; equity of up to $3,600 in one motor vehicle; and equity of up to $2,250 in the implements, professional books, or tools of the debtor's trade. Professionally prescribed health aids are exempt outright, without a dollar limit.

Other categories replace income or compensate for loss: life insurance and annuity proceeds payable to a dependent spouse or child, Social Security, unemployment, veteran's, disability, and support payments to the extent reasonably necessary for support, and payments tied to crime-victim awards, wrongful death, or personal bodily injury (capped at $22,500), each subject to time limits on how long the right to receive the payment, or property traceable to it, stays exempt. Illinois College Savings Pool and ABLE account funds are exempt too, apart from contributions made with fraudulent intent or made too close to a bankruptcy filing.

The section also polices abuse of the list: proceeds from selling already-exempt property stay exempt to the same extent, but property bought to convert nonexempt assets into exempt ones, or to defraud creditors, isn't protected, and property acquired within six months of a bankruptcy filing is presumed acquired in contemplation of it. These exemptions apply only to individuals and only to property used for personal, not business, purposes, and none of them override wages already being withheld under a wage-deduction proceeding.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Illinois's personal property “wildcard” exemption amount?

A debtor's equity interest of up to $4,000 in any other property, of which $1,000 is an automatic exemption under a companion section.

How much equity in a car can a debtor keep exempt?

Up to $3,600 in one motor vehicle.

How much can a debtor exempt for tools of the trade?

Up to $2,250 in equity for implements, professional books, or tools of the trade.

Is there a cap on the exemption for a bodily-injury payment?

Yes. A payment on account of personal bodily injury is exempt only up to $22,500.

Can a creditor ever reach household goods that are supposed to be exempt?

Yes, with court permission, if a specific item's resale value exceeds $5,000 and it isn't exempt under another provision. A debtor may still keep one piece of jewelry worth up to $5,000.

Amendment History

(Source: P.A. 104-120, eff. 1-1-26.)

Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Compiled Statutes, published by the Illinois Compiled Statutes, Illinois General Assembly / Legislative Reference Bureau. Last verified July 20, 2026. · Official source

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