Updated September 3, 2026. Quick answer: $400,000 per person; combined homestead exemptions on a property are capped at $550,000 total ($400,000 for a single person); unlimited (full market value) if the debt arose from unpaid medical bills or a terminal/catastrophic injury or illness.
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This is protection against an ordinary money judgment creditor under New Hampshire RSA 480:1, RSA 480:4, a different question from a property tax bill or exemption, which this page does not cover.
How it works in New Hampshire
- No filing required. No filing or recording requirement appears in RSA 480:1 or 480:4; the only condition stated is a 12-month continuous-primary-residence occupancy test.
- Married couples and joint owners: Not addressed by these two sections: neither uses the words spouse, married, or joint, so whether the $550,000 combined figure is a married-couple provision specifically is not stated here.
If you sell the home
Sale proceeds stay protected if reinvested within 6 months in a new primary residence.
What it does not protect against
Taxes, domestic-support or forfeited-bail-bond liens, mechanics’ liens for construction/repair/improvement, mortgages, HOA/condo-association assessment liens, and debts that existed when the homestead was purchased.
Read it yourself
Verbatim from New Hampshire RSA 480:1, RSA 480:4: “Every person is entitled to $400,000 worth of his or her homestead, or of his or her interest therein, as a homestead.” Read the full official text before relying on any figure here. Exemption law is fact-specific, and this is a source-backed planning guide, not individualized legal advice.
Figures verified against the New Hampshire General Court text of RSA 480:1 and RSA 480:4 (as amended by 2025, 282, eff. Jan. 1, 2026) on September 30, 2026.