# Massachusetts — Homestead exemption amounts by state

For Massachusetts, homestead exemption is $1,000,000 created by a written declaration, executed and recorded pursuant to section 5; amount protected without filing anything is $125,000 pursuant to section 4; statute is Chapter 188, Section 1, verified against its source on 2026-08-29.

- **State:** Massachusetts _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Homestead exemption:** $1,000,000 created by a written declaration, executed and recorded pursuant to section 5 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Amount protected without filing anything:** $125,000 pursuant to section 4 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Statute:** Chapter 188, Section 1 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> ''Automatic homestead exemption'', an exemption in the amount of $125,000 pursuant to section 4; provided, however, that: (1) with respect to a home owned as joint tenants or as tenants by the entirety, the automatic homestead exemption shall remain whole and unallocated between the owners, provided that the owners together shall not be entitled to an automatic homestead exemption in excess of $125,000; and (2) with respect to a home owned by multiple owners as tenants in common or as trust beneficiaries, the automatic homestead exemption shall be allocated among all owners in proportion to their respective ownership interests. ''Declared homestead exemption'', an exemption in the amount of $1,000,000 created by a written declaration, executed and recorded pursuant to section 5; provided, however, that: (1) with respect to a home owned by joint tenants or tenants by the entirety who are benefited by an estate of homestead declared pursuant to section 3, the declared homestead exemption shall remain whole and unallocated, provided that the owners together shall not be entitled to a declared homestead exemption in excess of $1,000,000; (2) if a home is owned by te

## Source

- https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartII/TitleI/Chapter188/Section1

Last verified: 2026-08-29. Review by: 2027-02-25.
Part of [Homestead exemption amounts by state](https://referencesource.org/state-homestead-exemption-amounts/).