Need to pay for credit cards taken by my spouse?

Welcome Incredible,

The credit card company can demand payments from you because you are a married couple. So, even if you are not a debtor, you need to pay it if your spouse stops making payment or else it could garnish his wages and the like.

I think you should explain to the credit card company as to why you cannot pay but perhaps they would insist on the repayment.

Hi, my husband dies last year. He has been handling his payments all throughout and had also made me an authorized user on his credit card accounts. But I never signed on any of these and I have never written a check before his death. I have notified the companies about his death and except one, all others no other company has sent any bill further. The one that I said is contacting me and saying that I'm responsible for the payments on that card. But they had always sent bills in his name and suddenly they are now in my name!!am I really responsible for this debt even though I have never signed on any card. Pls help!!!

I was under the impression that, as a married couple ,any debt left after the death of a spouse is automatically transfered to the other remaining spouse.Correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm pretty sure that as long as only his name is on the account, that only he would be responsible for the debts incurred. They will hound and hassle you to pay for it saying things like "dont you really want to clear this good mans name." Don't give in. A certificate of death should be enough for them to write the debt off. Do not pay it, please!

it depends on your state laws. some states regard your spouse's debts as your own. First investigate if your state has any laws that require you to pay before even thinking about 'not paying'.

It could be like the accests .You inherit them and also the bills. Like they said check it it first.

banker is correct in that some states adjudicate this sort of situation differently than others. in general, i would gather that you are not at all liable for debts that are not your own; regardless of marital status.

you may find that there is a liability, depending on the state laws. if still in doubt, i suggest you get legal advice.

I see in our paper all the time people place ads saying ,they are not responsible for any debts other than their own.They usually says this right after a death.

of course, simply saying that they are not responsible does not make it so. better to have legal standing, though i am sure they think they have it anyway.

Well ,I never understood the legallity of poutting those ads in the paper anyway.As if putting it there released all responsibility for them. I know my hubby has to many loans.Some have my name on them as that was the only way he could get them. I also know if something happened to him me and the kids would be living in a tent ,as he has no life insurance ,I would be forced to sell the farm we live on to pay off the loans.I hate signing those loans papers,it scares me because of that fact. But if I don't, I know he will make me miserable for it. :(

you need to get that boy some insurance, patricia!
we dont want to read a post sometime in the near future that you have a new tent.

Yes I know .We have been discussing it but thats all. I also know the longer you put it off the higher the premiums are.Also something couls affect his health and make it hard to acquire it.At the least we could figure out what it cost to get out of death in case of death and get that amount. :(

there are reasonable alternatives, in terms of price, for life insurance. a term policy, for example, can be had much cheaper than a whole-life policy. i hope he doesnt smoke.

No, he quite about 20 years ago. From what I have read here though if we bought a term policy and he outlived the term we would loose all the money we paid on the policy at the end of that term. Then would have top go to another policy which by then would be more expensive then than now.Am I right on target?