Nothing in this chapter shall be so construed as to exempt any property in this state from execution or attachment for unpaid wages; for money due and owing by an attorney at law for money or other valuable consideration received by such attorney for any person or persons; or for enforcement of an award of or judgment for child support, alimony, or maintenance or a judgment for property division awarded to a former spouse.
§ 25-1557.Actions in which exemptions limited or not allowed.
Article 15: Execution, Exemptions, and Foreign Judgments · Last amended 1997 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceNebraska’s property exemptions don’t shield a debtor’s property from execution or attachment when the underlying debt is unpaid wages owed to an employee, money an attorney received on a client’s behalf and never paid over, or a judgment for child support, alimony, maintenance, or property division owed to a former spouse.
Full Text of § 25-1557
Source
R.S.1867, Code § 531, p. 486; Laws 1869, § 1, p. 66; Laws 1887, c. 95, § 1, p. 649; R.S.1913, § 8104; C.S.1922, § 9040; C.S.1929, § 20-1558; R.S.1943, § 25-1557; Laws 1977, LB 60, § 3; Laws 1997, LB 372, § 3.
Plain-English Summary
The exemptions elsewhere in chapter 25 generally protect a debtor’s property from most creditors. Section 25-1557 carves out three categories of debt where that protection does not apply. If the judgment being enforced is for unpaid wages the debtor owes, for money an attorney received for a client or other person but did not pay over, or for a family-law award — child support, alimony, maintenance, or a property division judgment owed to a former spouse — the debtor cannot rely on the chapter’s exemptions to keep a creditor from reaching the property.
The effect reaches both the general personal property exemption in section 25-1552 and the itemized exemptions in section 25-1556. Neither offers shelter against these particular obligations. This is a different type of limit than the percentage caps in section 25-1558’s wage garnishment formula — here, the exemptions themselves are unavailable for these debts, rather than limited to a fraction of earnings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use my personal property exemption to avoid paying wages I owe an employee?
No. Section 25-1557 states that the chapter’s exemptions do not protect property from execution or attachment for unpaid wages owed by the debtor.
Does the exemption protect me from a child support judgment?
No. The statute specifically excludes enforcement of an award or judgment for child support from the chapter’s exemption protections.
What if I’m an attorney who owes money received on a client’s behalf?
The exemption does not protect you. Section 25-1557 excludes debts for money due and owing by an attorney for funds received for another person.
Are alimony and property division judgments treated the same as child support here?
Yes. The statute groups child support, alimony or maintenance, and a property division judgment owed to a former spouse together as debts the chapter’s exemptions do not reach.
Does this section override the five-thousand-dollar exemption in section 25-1552?
For these three categories of debt, yes — the general exemption in section 25-1552 does not apply when the debt falls within section 25-1557’s exclusions.
Does this section affect the wage garnishment limits in section 25-1558?
They work on different debts and different mechanisms. Section 25-1557 addresses when chapter 25’s property exemptions do not apply at all; section 25-1558 sets percentage limits specifically for garnishing wages.
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
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