Short answer: the exemptions page on a bankruptcy website — the one that answers “what do I get to keep?” — is the strongest page most firms never build properly. It answers the fear that stops people filing, it is searched constantly, and it is the page where a generic article and a local firm’s page differ most. But it is also the page most likely to be wrong, because exemption rules differ by state, some states let filers choose a federal set instead, the figures move, and your visitor has usually already read about the wrong state. This guide sets out how to build it so it is useful, honest and dated.
Part of our bankruptcy lawyer website design service. Start with the core guide to bankruptcy website copy if you have not read it.
Your visitor has read three articles about exemptions. There is a good chance none of them applied to them.
Why “what you keep” is the page that decides the call
Ask a bankruptcy attorney what the first question on the phone is and it is almost never “how much do you charge”. It is some version of “will I lose my house”, “will I lose my car”, or “will they take my savings”. Every month a visitor spends researching before calling is a month spent trying to answer that question alone, usually from content written for a different state.
The firm that answers it first, plainly, on a page the visitor can find from the home page, reaches people who have spent years assuming filing would cost them everything. That is a different and much larger audience than the people who already know they will file.
Most sites bury it. The exemptions material sits three clicks down under “Chapter 7”, written as a legal summary rather than as an answer to a frightened question. Put it where they can see it.
The three frameworks your visitor might be under
Without stating a single figure — and a marketing agency should not — it is possible to explain why the article your visitor just read may not apply to them. There are broadly three situations, and the page should say which one your state is in.
| Framework | What it means for the visitor | What the page has to do |
|---|---|---|
| State exemptions only | The state’s own list applies; the federal set is not available | Explain that content about “choosing federal exemptions” does not apply here |
| State or federal, filer’s choice | Two lists exist and the filer picks one set, not a mix | Explain that a choice exists at all — most general content never mentions it |
| Unusually generous homestead | The house question has a reassuring answer, with conditions | Lead with it, then state the conditions honestly |
The second row is the one that catches people. In states that allow the choice, the state’s own list is often the more modest one, so the federal set is frequently what a filer actually uses. Almost every article a visitor finds assumes state exemptions apply. Being the page that says “there is a choice, and here is how it usually goes” corrects a misunderstanding the visitor did not know they had.
Which framework your state falls into, and what the current figures are, is legal content your firm writes and verifies. What we can say as designers is that the page belongs near the top of the site, and that it needs a review date.
What the page should cover
- The home. First, because it is the first fear. The homestead exemption has its own guide in this series because the answer varies more than any other line item.
- The car. Second, and for a large share of filers more important than the house, because losing the vehicle means losing the job. Covered further in the medical debt and the car guide.
- Retirement accounts and pensions. Usually better news than the visitor expects, and rarely stated.
- Wages, bank balances and tools of the trade. The practical questions of someone still working.
- Personal property. Household goods, jewellery, the categories with modest caps that people worry about disproportionately.
- What happens to jointly owned property when only one spouse files. Several states treat property held between spouses in ways that change the answer entirely when one spouse files alone. It comes up constantly, it is consequential, and it is almost never explained in plain language.
Each bullet should answer the visitor’s version of the question — “will they take my car” — not the statute’s version. The statute reference can sit in a footnote.
The review date is not optional
Exemption figures are adjusted. Some states move them on a fixed cycle, some by legislation, and the federal set is indexed periodically. A page quoting last cycle’s numbers is worse than no page, because a reader will rely on it and then feel misled at the first consultation.
Put a visible “figures reviewed on” line at the top of the page, not in the footer. It signals that the firm maintains its content, and it gives the visitor a reason to trust the numbers rather than the vaguer reassurance on every competitor’s site. Then put the review in someone’s calendar.
The newly arrived visitor
In any state with significant in-migration, a meaningful share of visitors moved there recently. Which state’s exemptions apply to a recent arrival is governed by federal timing rules, and the answer is not obvious. That is a real, high-volume question that general content almost never addresses, and a short section — or a separate page in high-migration states — that says “if you moved here recently, the answer may be different, and here is why” captures an audience nobody else is serving. This guide does not state the periods; your firm does.
How it fits with the cost page
The exemptions page and the cost page are the two pages visitors bounce between before calling. Link them to each other directly, in the body, not just in the navigation. The core guide covers how to write the cost page and the line about Chapter 13 fees being paid through the plan, which belongs on both.
The exemptions page: frequently asked questions
Should a marketing agency write exemption content?
No. Exemption figures, conditions and which set applies are legal content the firm writes and verifies. An agency’s job is the structure, the placement, the plain-language framing and the review-date mechanism.
Why does the exemptions page need a review date?
Because the figures move, on different cycles in different states. A dated page signals maintained content and protects the firm from a visitor relying on stale numbers.
Where should the what-you-keep page sit on the site?
Linked from the home page and from both chapter pages, not buried under a practice-area menu. It answers the question that stops most people calling, so it should be one click from anywhere.
What if only one spouse files?
Several states treat property held between spouses in ways that change the answer when one spouse files alone. It is a constant, consequential question and it deserves its own section, written by the firm.
Does the page need to mention the federal exemptions?
If your state allows the choice, yes — explaining that a choice exists is the most useful thing the page can do, because most content the visitor has read assumes it does not. If your state does not allow it, say so, because the visitor has probably read content from a state that does.
The short version
If you take one thing from this guide, take this: put the answer to “will I lose my house and my car” one click from the home page, written to the frightened question rather than the statute, with a visible date on it. It is the question stopping your visitors from calling, and burying it is the most common structural mistake on bankruptcy websites.
Legal Web Agency is a marketing agency, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice. Nothing here states any state’s exemption amounts or conditions, which states permit the federal set, residency periods, or federal debt relief requirements. Confirm current requirements with your state bar and your ethics counsel.
Related reading in this series: bankruptcy website copy for shame and cost anxiety, explaining the homestead exemption, splitting the site by chapter, and the state-by-state guide to attorney advertising rules.
