§ 25-1552.Personal property except wages; debtors; claim of exemption; procedure; adjustment by Department of Revenue.
Article 15: Execution, Exemptions, and Foreign Judgments · Last amended 2018 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceEvery Nebraska resident may exempt five thousand dollars’ worth of personal property, not counting wages, from a creditor’s forced sale, must claim the exemption through the hearing procedure in section 25-1516 by filing a full property list with values, and the dollar figure rises with inflation every fifth year starting in 2023.
Full Text of § 25-1552
Text size
(1) Each natural person residing in this state shall have exempt from forced sale on execution the sum of five thousand dollars in personal property, except wages. The provisions of this section do not apply to the exemption of wages, that subject being fully provided for by section 25-1558. In proceedings involving a writ of execution, the exemption from execution under this section shall be claimed in the manner provided by section 25-1516. The debtor desiring to claim an exemption from execution under this section shall, at the time the request for hearing is filed, file a list of the whole of the property owned by the debtor and an indication of the items of property which he or she claims to be exempt from execution pursuant to this section and section 25-1556, along with a value for each item listed. The debtor or his or her authorized agent may select from the list an amount of property not exceeding the value exempt from execution under this section according to the debtor's valuation or the court's valuation if the debtor's valuation is challenged by a creditor.
(2) The dollar limitations in this section shall be adjusted by the Department of Revenue every fifth year beginning with the year 2023 to reflect the cumulative percentage change over the preceding five years in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, as prepared by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Section 25-1552 sets Nebraska’s general personal property exemption: each natural person residing in the state can protect five thousand dollars in personal property from forced sale on execution. Wages are carved out of this figure entirely — they get their own, separate protection under section 25-1558, discussed there.
Claiming the exemption is not automatic. It runs through the hearing procedure described in section 25-1516. When the debtor files the request for a hearing, the debtor must also file a complete list of everything owned, mark which items are being claimed exempt under this section and under the itemized exemptions in section 25-1556, and put a value on each listed item. From that list, the debtor or an authorized agent then selects property up to the five-thousand-dollar cap, using the debtor’s own valuation unless a creditor challenges it, in which case the court sets the value instead.
Because a fixed dollar figure loses value over time, subsection (2) requires the Department of Revenue to adjust the exemption every fifth year, beginning in 2023, to reflect the cumulative percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers over the preceding five years.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much personal property can I protect from a judgment creditor in Nebraska?
Five thousand dollars’ worth, under the general exemption in section 25-1552. That figure does not include wages, which are exempt separately under section 25-1558.
Does the five-thousand-dollar exemption include my wages?
No. The statute states specifically that it does not apply to wages, which section 25-1558 governs on its own terms.
How do I claim this exemption — is it automatic?
No. You claim it through the hearing procedure in section 25-1516, which requires filing a list of your property and marking what you claim as exempt.
What do I have to file to claim my exempt property?
A list of everything you own, with the items you claim as exempt under this section and under section 25-1556 indicated, along with a value for each listed item, filed at the time you request the hearing.
Who decides what my property is worth if a creditor disagrees with my valuation?
The court. Your own valuation controls unless a creditor challenges it, at which point the court sets the value.
Will the five-thousand-dollar limit increase over time?
Yes. The Department of Revenue adjusts it every fifth year, beginning with 2023, based on the cumulative change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers over the prior five years.
Source & verification. Section text and the amendment-history citation are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Legislature, Revisor of Statutes, enacted by the
Nebraska Legislature. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as:nebraska personal property exemption amounthow much property is exempt from creditors in nebraskaclaiming an exemption from execution nebraskanebraska five thousand dollar exemptionnebraska exemption inflation adjustment