California Homestead Exemption Calculator
Facing a judgment or weighing bankruptcy? See how much of your home equity the homestead exemption shields.
California's homestead exemption protects equity in your home from judgment creditors. It equals your county's median single-family sale price from the prior year, but never less than a minimum or more than a cap. The law (Code of Civil Procedure 704.730) set those at $300,000 and $600,000 and adjusts them for inflation each January 1. By our calculation, that's $370,650 to $741,300 for 2026.
Equity is the home's value minus your mortgages and any liens that come ahead of the creditor. Leave the county median blank to see the minimum.
Homestead Exemption Calculator
Equity Protected by the Homestead Exemption
Your Equity
Not Protected
How this is calculated
Exemption = the greater of (a) the county median single-family sale price for the prior calendar year, capped at the cap, or (b) the minimum. Protected equity is your equity up to that amount.
CCP 704.730(b) adjusts both amounts every January 1, starting in 2022, by the change in the California Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (published by the Department of Industrial Relations) over the prior year, rounded to the nearest $25. No court or agency publishes the adjusted figures (the Judicial Council's exemption chart, form EJ-156, doesn't list them), so we compute them from DIR's annual averages:
| Year | CPI change used | Minimum | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statute (2021) | — | $300,000 | $600,000 |
| 2022 | 2021 vs 2020: 4.23% | $312,675 | $625,350 |
| 2023 | 2022 vs 2021: 7.35% | $335,650 | $671,300 |
| 2024 | 2023 vs 2022: 3.94% | $348,875 | $697,750 |
| 2025 | 2024 vs 2023: 3.06% | $359,550 | $719,100 |
| 2026 | 2025 vs 2024: 3.09% | $370,650 | $741,300 |
Some sources compute the adjustment differently and get slightly different numbers. In a real case, the court decides the amount.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the California homestead exemption?
It is the greater of your county's median sale price for a single-family home in the prior year, up to a cap, or a minimum amount. The law set those at $300,000 and $600,000 and adjusts them every January 1 for inflation. By our calculation from the state's consumer price index, they are $370,650 and $741,300 for 2026.
Do I have to file a homestead declaration in California?
No. The homestead exemption applies to the home you live in when a creditor tries to force a sale, and a home can't be sold to enforce a money judgment without a court order (Code of Civil Procedure 704.740). Recording a homestead declaration does something different: a judgment lien recorded after the declaration doesn't attach to the home except for any equity above the existing liens plus the exemption amount (section 704.950), which helps when you sell or refinance.
Does the homestead exemption protect my home in bankruptcy?
It can. In a California bankruptcy you use either the regular exemptions, which include this homestead exemption, or the alternative set in Code of Civil Procedure 703.140(b), whose residence exemption is only $36,750. You can't mix the two. A bankruptcy attorney can tell you which fits.
Does the homestead exemption lower my property taxes?
No. That is the homeowners' property tax exemption, a separate program that takes $7,000 off a home's assessed value. The homestead exemption only protects equity from creditors.
Where do I find my county's median home price?
The statute uses the countywide median sale price for a single-family home in the calendar year before you claim the exemption, but it doesn't say which data source to use. Ask an attorney what evidence your court accepts.
This tool provides an educational estimate only and is not legal advice. Whether and how the exemption applies (who lives in the home, the type of debt, the date of the lien, bankruptcy elections) depends on your situation; talk to an attorney.