Am I Responsible for My Husband’s Credit Cards?
There are many times when a surviving spouse will not be responsible for her husband’s debts. I often find out that a client has continued to pay on the husband’s credit card accounts after their husband’s death. This usually turns out to be a waste of valuable cash, and at times it is an expense that the widow can’t afford.
While there are times when you should pay a husband’s credit cards, they are usually limited to those related to certain types of probate actions in which the law requires that unsecured debt be paid.
However, debts should never be ignored as there could be circumstances when your husband’s debt, although not yours and not your responsibility, could negatively impact you. For instance, if you are a convenience signer on the credit card, lack of payment could harm your credit as well.
The best thing to do is to order a credit report for you and your husband so that you have a good understanding of what the debt looks like, then contact our office right away and be sure to tell us if your husband had credit cards, so we can tell you exactly what to do about them.
And please always keep in mind that no one can legally make a charge on a deceased person’s credit card.