Connecticut lets filers use either the federal exemption system or Connecticut’s state exemption system, so you’ll have two homestead amounts to choose between. However, you can’t mix exemptions from both lists, so you’ll want to select the system that will protect your most important assets.
We've listed both exemption amounts below to help you make an informed choice. We’ve also included links to more complete federal and state exemption lists so you’ll have an easier time deciding which set will work best for you.
If you’re married, remember that spouses can double some exemption amounts, but not all. Find out about other filing considerations for spouses.
Federal Homestead Exemption |
Connecticut Homestead Exemption |
|
Homestead exemption amount |
$27,900 |
$75,000 |
Can spouses who file a joint bankruptcy double the exemption? |
$55,800 is available to spouses who co-own property. |
Yes. |
Homestead exemption law |
11 U.S.C. § 522(d)(1) |
Conn. Gen Stat. § 52-352b(t) |
Other information |
Amounts adjust on April 1, 2025. |
Exemption increases to $125,000 if a creditor collects for hospital services; amounts adjust periodically. |
Compare other federal and state exemptions. |
Filing for Bankruptcy in Connecticut |
In Connecticut, the homestead exemption applies to real property, including your home, condominium, and mobile manufactured home. However, you must occupy the property as your primary residence. The $75,000 exemption amount increases to $125,000 against creditors collecting a money judgment from hospital services.
Example 1. If you own a house worth $120,000 and have a mortgage balance of $80,000, you have $40,000 of equity in the property. If you file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you can use the Connecticut homestead exemption to protect all equity.
Example 2. Assume your mortgage is only $20,000 and could only exempt $75,000 of your $100,000 of equity. The Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee would likely sell your house, give you $75,000 from the proceeds for your exemption, and use any amount remaining after deducting sales costs to pay unsecured creditors. If you wanted to keep the home, you could file for Chapter 13 and pay the $25,000 nonexempt equity portion to unsecured creditors through the Chapter 13 plan.
You can file for bankruptcy in Connecticut after living there for over 180 days. However, you must live in Connecticut much longer before using Connecticut exemptions—at least 730 days before filing, to be exact. Otherwise, you’d use the previous state’s exemptions.
But suppose you lived in multiple states during the two years before filing for bankruptcy. In that case, you'd use the exemptions of the state you lived in for most of the 180 days before the two years immediately preceding your filing. (11 U.S.C. § 522(b)(3)(A).) Learn more about filing for bankruptcy after moving to a new state.
You'll also need to meet other timing and exemption requirements to prevent losing your home in bankruptcy. Find out more about keeping your home in Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 or consult a bankruptcy lawyer.
Connecticut’s homestead exemption is in the Connecticut state statutes at Conn. Gen Stat. § 52-352b(t) on the Connecticut General Assembly website. Learn about finding state statutes in Laws and Legal Research.
Did you know Nolo has made the law easy for over fifty years? It’s true, and we want to ensure you find what you need. Below you’ll find more articles explaining how bankruptcy works. And don’t forget that our bankruptcy homepage is the best place to start if you have other questions!
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We wholeheartedly encourage research and learning, but online articles can't address all bankruptcy issues or the facts of your case. The best way to protect your assets in bankruptcy is by hiring a local bankruptcy lawyer.
Updated September 21, 2023
]]>Facing financial challenges is a part of life. But if you’re one of the millions struggling financially due to a job loss, illness, or another event in Connecticut, bankruptcy can help. Here, you’ll find an explanation of Chapters 7 and 13, checklists to help you understand the process and stay organized, and Connecticut’s property exemption laws and filing information.
Because we couldn’t include everything in one article, you'll want to check out its companion, What You Need to Know to File for Bankruptcy. You’ll find lots more details there.
In most respects, filing for bankruptcy in Connecticut isn’t different from filing in another state. The bankruptcy process falls under federal law, not Connecticut state law, and works by unwinding the contracts between you and your creditors. That’s what gives you a fresh start.
But Connecticut’s laws come into play in a significant way because they determine the property you can keep in your bankruptcy case. You’ll also need to know other filing information, which we explain after reviewing some basics.
Most people file either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13, and you're not alone if you don’t know how the two differ. The short explanation below and our handy Chapter 7 versus 13 chart will help clarify things.
Chapter 7 is often a bankruptcy filer’s first choice for several reasons. It’s quick, taking only a few months to complete. And it’s cheap. You don't pay anything to creditors.
Chapter 7 bankruptcy works well for people who own mainly the essential items needed to live and work and not much else. People with more assets could lose them in Chapter 7 because the Chapter 7 trustee, the official responsible for the case, sells unnecessary luxury items and distributes the proceeds to creditors. For instance, you might have to give up your RV, baseball card collection, or timeshare in the Bahamas, even your house or vehicle if you have more equity than you’re allowed to keep.
Also, unlike Chapter 13, Chapter 7 has no payment plan option for catching up on late mortgage or car payments. So you could lose your home or car if you’re behind on the loan when you file.
Chapter 13 involves repaying creditors some or all of what's owed using a three- to five-year repayment plan. Chapter 13 filers keep everything they own, and the payment plan provides ways to improve sticky financial situations.
For instance, you can catch up on late payments and save your home from foreclosure or your car from repossession. Also, if you need time to repay a debt you can’t eliminate or "discharge" in bankruptcy, you can use Chapter 13 to force a creditor into a payment plan and repay your balance over time. Learn more about when filing for Chapter 13 is better than Chapter 7.
The biggest downside to this chapter? It can be expensive. Many people can’t afford the monthly payment. Also, businesses can't file a Chapter 13 case. If you're a business owner, it's a good idea to learn about the ins and outs of small business bankruptcies before choosing the bankruptcy right for you.
Bankruptcy wipes out many bills, like credit card balances, overdue utility payments, medical bills, personal loans, and more. You can even get rid of a mortgage or car payment if you're willing to give up the house or car that secures the debt. (Putting property up as collateral creates a “secured debt.” If you don’t pay what you owe, the lender recovers the property.)
But you can't discharge all debts. You’ll want to be sure that bankruptcy will discharge (get rid of) enough bills to make it worthwhile.
For instance, nondischargeable debts, like domestic support arrearages and recent tax debt, won’t go away in bankruptcy. Also, student loans aren’t easy to wipe out because you'd have to win a separate lawsuit (however, in 2023, steps have been taken to ease the student loan discharge process with a new student loan bankruptcy form).
Learn more about student loans in bankruptcy.
You won't be surprised to learn that qualifying for bankruptcy involves meeting several requirements. Because you're only entitled to a discharge every few years, if you've filed before, you'll want to check whether enough time has passed to allow you to file again. The waiting period varies depending on the chapter previously filed and the chapter you plan to file. Learn more about multiple bankruptcy filings.
You’ll also need to meet specific chapter requirements. Here are the qualification basics for Chapters 7 and 13.
You'll qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy if your family’s gross income is lower than the median income for the same size family in your state. Add all gross income earned during the last six months and multiply it by two. Compare the figure to the income charts on the U.S. Trustee's website (select "Means Testing Information").
Want an easy way to do this online? Use the Quick Median Income Test. If you make too much, you still might qualify after taking the second part of the "means test." If, after subtracting expenses, you don't have enough remaining to pay into a Chapter 13 plan, you’ll qualify for Chapter 7.
Qualifying for Chapter 13 can be expensive because the extra benefits come at a hefty price, and many people can't afford the monthly payment. To qualify, you'll pay the larger of:
Find out more about calculating a Chapter 13 bankruptcy payment.
You won't lose everything in bankruptcy. You’ll use bankruptcy exemption laws to protect your property. We list the significant exemptions below, but first, understanding the following will help you maximize what you'll keep in your case.
Filers can protect some home and vehicle equity, personal possessions, retirement accounts, and more. Below is a list of commonly used Connecticut bankruptcy exemptions.
A homestead exemption protects some equity in your home. In Connecticut, you can protect up to $75,000 of equity in real property, co-op, or a manufactured home that you occupy at the time you file bankruptcy. This amount increases to $125,000 against creditors collecting a money judgment arising out of hospital services. (Conn. Gen Stat. § 52-352b(t).)
Spouses can double the homestead exemption. Learn about qualifying for Connecticut's homestead exemption in bankruptcy.
You can keep up to $3,500 in equity in your motor vehicle. (Conn. Gen Stat. § 52-352b(j).) Find out how the motor vehicle exemption works in a Chapter 7 case.
State exemption amounts are adjusted periodically and are not being updated in this article. You’ll find the Connecticut exemption statutes on the Connecticut General Assembly website. Learn about finding state statutes in Laws and Legal Research.
You can file for bankruptcy in Connecticut after living there for over 180 days. However, you must live in Connecticut for at least 730 days before filing. Otherwise, you’d use the previous state’s exemptions.
If you lived in multiple states during the two years before filing for bankruptcy, you'd use the exemptions of the state you lived in for most of the 180 days before the two years immediately preceding your filing. (11 U.S.C. § 522(b)(3)(A).)
Learn more about filing for bankruptcy after moving to a new state.
Exempt your property carefully. The bankruptcy trustee, the court-appointed official assigned to manage your case, will review the exemptions. A trustee who disagrees with your exemptions will likely try to resolve the issue informally. If unsuccessful, the trustee will file an objection with the bankruptcy court, and the judge will decide whether you can keep the property.
Example. Mason owns a rare, classic car worth $15,000, but the state vehicle exemption doesn’t cover it entirely. Believing that the car qualifies as art, at least in his mind, Mason exempts it using his state's unlimited artwork exemption. The trustee disagrees with Mason's characterization and files an objection with the court. The judge will likely decide the vehicle doesn't qualify as art.
Purposefully making inaccurate statements could be considered fraudulent. Bankruptcy fraud is punishable by up to $250,000, 20 years in prison, or both.
Most people find it worthwhile to get counsel. A bankruptcy attorney will help you:
You can expect creditors to call until you file. It’s usually best to ignore them because telling creditors about your bankruptcy can encourage them to take more drastic collection steps before losing the right to collect altogether. However, if you hire counsel and refer creditors to your lawyer, they’ll have to stop calling you.
You’ll complete the steps listed below in “What Steps Are Involved in a Connecticut Bankruptcy?” But not everyone should file their own bankruptcy case.
The best candidate is a Chapter 7 debtor who meets qualification requirements, can eliminate all debts, and can protect all property with bankruptcy exemptions. People filing for Chapter 13 or Chapter 7 filers with complicated cases should seek representation.
Are you curious whether your case is simple enough to file yourself? Our quiz will help you identify potential complications while educating you about bankruptcy. You’ll find it here: Do I Need a Lawyer to File for Bankruptcy?
All filers pay a $338 filing fee in Chapter 7 unless the court grants a fee waiver and a $313 filing fee in Chapter 13 (amounts current as of August 2023). You’ll also pay approximately $50 to $75 for credit counseling and debt management courses.
If you hire a bankruptcy lawyer to represent you, you can expect to pay from $1,500 to $2,500 upfront for most Chapter 7 cases, although the price will depend on the going rates in your area and case complexity. Chapter 13 legal fees run about $1,000 to $1,500 more, but you can pay them in installments through the Chapter 13 payment plan.
Learn about your options if you can't afford to hire a bankruptcy attorney.
We all know that seeing the forest helps us recognize the trees. Similarly, understanding the significant steps you’ll take during your bankruptcy journey. will help you understand the bankruptcy process. Think of this checklist as a roadmap, but you can also use it to track your progress.
Once you decide to file, the fun begins! Well, not really. You'll start by gathering your financial information, which can take time. But our bankruptcy document checklist should help you organize what you or your attorney will need.
You’ll find the court’s local rules and instructions for filing your case on the District of Connecticut Bankruptcy Court website (select “Filing Without an Attorney” on the navbar). The court has three divisions, each of which has jurisdiction over certain counties. File your case in the court covering the area you’ve lived the most during the 180 days before filing (or the last 91 days).
Here’s where the courts were last we checked (you can verify this using the Federal Court Finder tool):
Hartford | Bridgeport | New Haven |
U.S. Bankruptcy CourtAbraham Ribicoff Fed. Bldg.450 Main Street, 7th FloorHartford, CT 06103(869) 240-3675
Counties: Hartford, Tolland, Windham, New London. |
U.S. Bankruptcy CourtBrien McMahon Federal Building915 Lafayette BoulevardBridgeport, CT 06604(203) 579-5808
Counties: Litchfield, Fairfield. |
U.S. Bankruptcy CourtConnecticut Financial Center157 Church Street, 18th FloorNew Haven, CT 06510(203) 773-2009
Counties: Middlesex, New Haven. |
Your creditors will stop bothering you soon after you file. It takes a few days because the court mails your creditors notice of the "automatic stay" order that prevents most creditors from continuing to ask you to pay them. Here’s what will happen next:
These things must happen before you get a Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharge. Chapter 13 filers will also attend a repayment plan confirmation hearing and complete the three- to five-year payment plan.
Did you know Nolo has made the law easy for over fifty years? It’s true, and we want to ensure you find what you need. Below you’ll find more articles explaining how bankruptcy works. And don’t forget that our bankruptcy homepage is the best place to start if you have other questions!
Our Editor's Picks for You |
|
More Like This |
Which Bankruptcy Chapter Should I File to Keep My House? |
What to Consider Before Filing Bankruptcy |
Preparing for Bankruptcy: What to Do With Bank Accounts, Automatic Payments, and Utility Deposits |
Helpful Bankruptcy Sites |
We wholeheartedly encourage research and learning, but online articles can't address all bankruptcy issues or the facts of your case. The best way to protect your assets in bankruptcy is by hiring a local bankruptcy lawyer.
Updated August 26, 2023