IRA Protection from Lawsuits by State

The degree an IRA is protected from lawsuits depends on each state. Some states protect IRAs fully. Others cap the exemption at specific dollar amounts, limit protection to funds reasonably necessary for retirement support, or exclude Roth IRAs entirely. Outside of bankruptcy, state law controls whether a judgment creditor can reach an IRA.

States that Fully Protect IRAs

Most states provide full creditor protection for both traditional and Roth IRAs. Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington all exempt the entire IRA balance from judgment creditors outside of bankruptcy, regardless of how much the account holds.

Florida law protects IRAs even further than other states. In Florida, traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, SEP-IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, rollover IRAs, and inherited IRAs are all protected from creditors. The inherited IRA protection is especially valuable because most states do not extend their exemption to inherited accounts, and federal bankruptcy law excludes inherited IRAs from the retirement account exemption entirely.

States with Dollar Caps on IRA Protection

Several states limit IRA creditor protection to a specific dollar amount, and the caps vary widely. Nevada exempts up to $1 million in retirement accounts. South Dakota caps its exemption at $1 million. North Dakota protects $200,000 per account and $400,000 in total, and the cap disappears for amounts a court finds necessary for support. Minnesota exempts $84,000, adjusted for inflation every two years, plus any additional amount necessary for support. Maine exempts an aggregate $1,054,550 across retirement accounts, a limit that adjusts with inflation.

Dollar caps create real exposure for anyone with substantial retirement savings. An IRA balance that exceeds the state cap is exposed to creditor claims for the excess amount. One option for people in capped states is to keep retirement savings inside an ERISA-qualified employer plan like a 401(k), which receives unlimited federal protection regardless of state law.

States with Needs-Based IRA Protection

A smaller group of states limits IRA protection to amounts reasonably necessary for the debtor’s retirement support or the support of dependents. California is the most prominent example. Its statute applies the same standard to traditional and Roth IRAs alike: both are exempt only to the extent necessary for retirement support, and 2024 amendments effective January 2025 tightened the exemption further.

Georgia applies a support standard to its bankruptcy exemption, although its separate garnishment statute protects traditional and Roth IRAs from judgment creditors more broadly. Nebraska follows the same support-based pattern.

Needs-based standards introduce uncertainty because the amount protected depends on a judge’s evaluation of the debtor’s circumstances. A court considers age, health, income, and other available resources when determining how much the debtor reasonably needs for retirement. The same IRA balance might be fully protected for a 62-year-old retiree and only partially protected for a 40-year-old professional with decades of earning capacity remaining.

States That Exclude Roth IRAs

The list of states that treat Roth IRAs worse than traditional IRAs has shrunk over the years as legislatures amended their exemption statutes. Alabama, Georgia, Maine, and Nevada all now cite Section 408A directly, giving Roth IRAs the same protection as traditional IRAs. California covers Roth IRAs but only under its support-based standard. A few states remain limited or unsettled. Mississippi and West Virginia protect traditional IRAs under statutes that do not clearly reach Roth accounts, and Nebraska’s support-based exemption leaves any Roth balance above a court-determined support level exposed.

For someone in one of those states with a large Roth IRA balance, the exposure is real. A traditional IRA or an ERISA-qualified plan holding the same amount would be fully protected while the Roth IRA is not. Converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA in one of those states can reduce creditor protection, a tradeoff that most conversion analyses overlook entirely.

Whether Inherited IRAs Are Protected from Creditors

Federal bankruptcy law does not protect inherited IRAs. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Clark v. Rameker (2014) that inherited IRAs are not retirement funds within the meaning of the federal bankruptcy exemption because the beneficiary did not set aside the money for their own retirement.

Ten states have enacted statutes that protect inherited IRAs from creditors regardless of the federal rule: Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas. In these states, a beneficiary who inherits an IRA can protect it from creditors using the state exemption even in bankruptcy.

In states without specific inherited IRA protection, naming a trust with spendthrift provisions as the IRA beneficiary, rather than an individual, can preserve creditor protection regardless of the beneficiary’s home state. Florida’s unlimited IRA exemption under § 222.21 extends to inherited accounts, making it one of the strongest states for retirement asset protection.

Rollover IRAs and ERISA Protection

Funds rolled over from an ERISA-qualified employer plan (a 401(k), 403(b), or pension) into an IRA carry different protection than funds contributed directly to an IRA. In bankruptcy, rollover amounts receive unlimited federal protection regardless of the state exemption cap. The $1,711,975 limit applies only to IRA contributions and the earnings on those contributions, not to rollover assets.

Outside of bankruptcy, the distinction disappears. State law governs, and most states do not distinguish between rollover and contributory IRA funds. A $2 million IRA funded entirely by a 401(k) rollover would be fully protected in bankruptcy. But if a creditor sues outside bankruptcy, Nevada’s $1 million state cap would leave the excess exposed.

The practical lesson is that leaving money inside an ERISA-qualified employer plan is almost always safer than rolling it into an IRA. A 401(k) receives unlimited protection under federal law both inside and outside of bankruptcy. Once those funds move to an IRA, they lose the ERISA shield for non-bankruptcy creditor claims and rely on state law instead. Anyone weighing a rollover, especially someone with large retirement balances or potential creditor exposure, should consider this tradeoff before transferring.

Exceptions That Apply in Every State

No IRA exemption—state or federal—protects against every type of claim. Three categories of creditors can reach IRA funds regardless of state law.

Divorce and domestic relations orders. A Qualified Domestic Relations Order allows a court to divide retirement account assets between divorcing spouses. IRA creditor protection statutes uniformly do not apply to divorce-related claims. A former spouse with a QDRO can reach IRA funds even in full-protection states like Florida.

IRS tax levies. The IRS can levy against IRA funds to satisfy unpaid federal tax debts. No state exemption blocks a federal tax lien. The IRA remains vulnerable regardless of how strong the state’s creditor protection statute is.

Criminal restitution. Courts can order IRA funds used to pay criminal restitution or fines. Several state exemption statutes explicitly exclude criminal penalties from their protection.

IRA Contribution Lookback Periods by State

Many states deny protection for IRA contributions made within a specified period before bankruptcy or a creditor claim. These lookback provisions target last-minute transfers of non-exempt assets into protected retirement accounts.

Alaska, Arizona, Kentucky, Maine, and Michigan each deny protection for contributions made within 120 days before bankruptcy. Louisiana and Pennsylvania use a one-year lookback. Hawaii applies a three-year lookback period. New York denies protection for contributions made within 90 days before a judgment. Montana takes a different approach, denying protection for contributions that exceed 15% of the debtor’s gross income in the year before bankruptcy.

Florida has no contribution lookback period in its IRA exemption statute. A contribution made to hinder, delay, or defraud creditors can still be challenged as a fraudulent conversion under Florida Statute § 222.30. But a person who moves non-exempt cash into an IRA before any creditor threat exists has no lookback risk. Withdrawals from a protected IRA may lose their exempt status once the funds leave the account and land in a regular bank account, depending on how Florida’s retirement account withdrawal rules apply to the specific situation.

Out-of-State IRA Custodian Risk

Florida law protects a resident’s IRA regardless of where the account is held—the statute does not require the IRA to be custodied with a Florida-based financial institution. In practice, though, keeping an IRA with an out-of-state custodian creates risk.

A judgment creditor can serve a writ of garnishment on a financial institution in the state where the account is maintained. If the custodian is in a state with weaker IRA protections than Florida, the custodian may freeze the account in response to the garnishment writ. The IRA owner then has to go to court in that other state and argue that Florida’s exemption should apply.

State-by-State IRA Protection Comparison Table

State	IRA Exempt	Roth IRA Exempt	Special Provisions
Alabama	Yes	Yes	Statute cites Roth IRAs, SEPs, and SIMPLE IRAs directly
Alaska	Yes	Yes	Contributions within 120 days before bankruptcy not exempt; inherited IRAs protected
Arizona	Yes	Yes	QDRO claims not exempt; 120-day lookback; inherited IRAs protected
Arkansas	Yes	Yes	No additional restrictions
California	Partly	Partly	Support standard covers traditional and Roth IRAs; tightened by 2024 amendments
Colorado	Yes	Yes	Subject to child support and felonious killing claims
Connecticut	Yes	Yes	No restrictions
Delaware	Yes	Yes	Not exempt from domestic relations claims
Florida	Yes	Yes	Inherited IRAs protected; unlimited; subject to QDRO
Georgia	Yes	Yes	Support standard in bankruptcy; garnishment statute protects both fully
Hawaii	Yes	Yes	3-year lookback for contributions before bankruptcy
Idaho	Yes	Yes	Applies only to negligence/wrongful act claims; inherited IRAs protected
Illinois	Yes	Yes	No restrictions
Indiana	Yes	Yes	No restrictions
Iowa	Yes	Yes	No restrictions
Kansas	Yes	Yes	No restrictions
Kentucky	Yes	Yes	120-day lookback; not exempt from child support
Louisiana	Yes	Yes	1-year lookback for contributions before bankruptcy
Maine	Yes	Yes	$1,054,550 aggregate cap, inflation-adjusted; 120-day lookback
Maryland	Yes	Yes	Not exempt from health department debts
Massachusetts	Yes	Yes	Not exempt from divorce, child support, or restitution
Michigan	Yes	Yes	120-day lookback; not exempt from family court orders
Minnesota	Yes	Yes	Exempt up to $84,000, inflation-adjusted biennially, plus support-based protection
Mississippi	Yes	No	No additional restrictions
Missouri	Yes	Yes	3-year lookback for fraudulent transfers before bankruptcy; inherited IRAs protected
Montana	Yes	Yes	Contributions exceeding 15% of gross income in past year not exempt
Nebraska	Partly	No	Exempt only if necessary for support
Nevada	Yes	Yes	Exempt up to $1 million; inherited IRAs protected
New Hampshire	Yes	Yes	Applies only to debts incurred after 1999
New Jersey	Yes	Yes	No restrictions
New Mexico	Yes	Yes	Fully protected
New York	Yes	Yes	90-day lookback for contributions before judgment
North Carolina	Yes	Yes	Inherited IRAs protected by state statute
North Dakota	Yes	Yes	$200,000 per account, $400,000 aggregate; no cap if necessary for support
Ohio	Yes	Yes	SEPs and SIMPLE IRAs not exempt; inherited IRAs protected
Oklahoma	Yes	Yes	No restrictions
Oregon	Yes	Yes	No restrictions
Pennsylvania	Yes	Yes	1-year lookback for contributions exceeding $15,000
Rhode Island	Yes	Yes	Not exempt from divorce or child support
South Carolina	Yes	Yes	Inherited IRAs protected by state statute
South Dakota	Yes	Yes	Exempt up to $1 million
Tennessee	Yes	Yes	Not exempt from QDROs
Texas	Yes	Yes	Inherited IRAs protected by state statute
Utah	Yes	Yes	1-year lookback for contributions
Vermont	Yes	Yes	Non-deductible traditional IRA contributions not exempt
Virginia	Yes	Yes	Not exempt from child/spousal support
Washington	Yes	Yes	No restrictions
West Virginia	Yes	No	No additional restrictions
Wisconsin	Yes	Yes	Not exempt from family court orders
Wyoming	Partly	Partly	Exempt only for solvent contributions