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Schedule C: The Property You Claim as Exempt (Official Form 106C)   

How exemptions work  

 If you are an individual filing for bankruptcy, the law may allow you to keep some property, or it may entitle you to part of the proceeds if the property is sold after your case is filed. Property that the law permits you to keep is called exempt property. For example, exemptions may enable you to keep your home, a car, clothing, and household items. 

Exemptions are not automatic. For property to be considered exempt, you must list the property on Schedule C: The Property You Claim as Exempt (Official Form 106C). If you do not list the property, the trustee may sell it and pay all of the proceeds to your creditors.

You may unnecessarily lose property if you do not claim exemptions to which you are entitled. You are strongly encouraged to hire a qualified attorney to advise you.  

Determine which set of exemptions you will use

Before you fill out this form, you must learn which set of exemptions you can use. In general, exemptions are determined on a state-by-state basis. Some states permit you to use the exemptions provided by the Bankruptcy Code. 11 U.S.C. § 522.  

The Bankruptcy Code provides that you use the exemptions in the law of the state where you had your legal home for 730 days before you file for bankruptcy. Special rules may apply if you did not have the same home state for 730 days before you file 

You may lose property if you do not use the best set of exemptions for your situation.   

If your spouse is filing with you and you are filing in a state in which you may choose between state and federal sets of bankruptcy exemptions, you both must use the same set of exemptions.   

Claiming exemptions   

Using the property and values that you listed on Schedule A/B: Property (Official Form 106A/B) as your source, list on this form the property that you claim as exempt.   

Listing the amount of each exemption   

For each item of property you claim as exempt, you must specify the amount of the exemption you claim. Usually, a specific dollar amount is claimed as exempt, but in some circumstances, the amount of the exemption claimed might be indicated as 100% of fair market value. For example, a debtor might claim 100% of fair market value for an exemption that is unlimited in dollar amount, such as some exemptions for health aids.   

Listing which laws apply  In the last column of the form, you must identify the laws that allow you to claim the property as exempt. If you have questions about exemptions, consult a qualified attorney.

COMMITTEE NOTE

The schedules to be used in cases of individual debtors are revised as part of the Forms Modernization Project, making them easier to read and, as a result, likely to generate more complete and accurate responses. The goals of the Forms Modernization Project include improving the interface between technology and the forms so as to increase efficiency and reduce the need to produce the same information in multiple formats. Therefore, many of the open-ended questions and multiple-part instructions have been replaced with more specific questions. The individual debtor schedules are also renumbered, starting with the number 106 and followed by the letter or name of the schedule to distinguish them from the versions to be used in non-individual cases.

Official Form 106C, Schedule C: The Property You Claim as Exempt, replaces Official Form 6C, Property Claimed as Exempt, in cases of individual debtors. 

Part 1, Identify the Property You Claim as Exempt, includes a table to list the property the debtor seeks to exempt, the value of the property owned by the debtor, the amount of the claimed exemption, and the law that allows the exemption. The first column asks for a brief description of the exempt property, and it also asks for the line number where the property is listed on Schedule A/B. The second column asks for the value of the portion of the asset owned by the debtor, rather than the entire asset. The third column asks for the amount, rather than the value, of the exemption claim. 

The form has also been changed in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Schwab v. Reilly, 560 U.S. 770 (2010). Entries in the “amount of the exemption you claim” column may now be listed as either a dollar limited amount or as 100% of fair market value, up to any applicable statutory limit. For example, a debtor might claim 100% of fair market value for a home covered by an exemption capped at $15,000, and that limit would be applicable. This choice would impose no dollar limit where the exemption is unlimited in dollar amount, such as some exemptions for health aids, certain governmental benefits, and tax-exempt retirement funds.


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Jurisdictional relevance: US

Legal Consumer - Neshoba County, MSLaw. The content of this article pertains to all US states and counties.