if your spouse dies are you responsible for their bills?
33076
In most cases you will not be responsible to pay off your deceased spouse's debts. As a general rule, no one else is obligated to pay the debt of a person who has died. ... If there is a joint account holder on a credit card, the joint account holder owes the debt.
886129
When someone dies, their debts become a liability on their estate. ... Any remaining debts are likely to be written off. If no estate is left, then there is no money to pay off the debts and the debts will usually die with them.
1000545
If you die "intestate", which means without a will, your money doesn't necessarily all go to your spouse, partner or children. There's a law called the Administration Act 1969 which sets out who gets the money. The first $155,000 plus personal possessions and furniture go to your spouse or partner.
328129
But check state law. Close to 30 states have what's known as "filial responsibility" statutes. Those require adult children to pay for a deceased parent's unpaid medical debts, such as those to hospitals or nursing homes, when the estate cannot. ... But you will be responsible for making payments on it going forward.
1409797
You are not responsible for your partner's debts just because of your relationship, whether you are married or not. However, you may have become liable for his or her debts because you signed a loan contract as a joint borrower or guarantor, or because you were a director of a family company or a partner in a business.
1380325
Arizona is both a community property and a community debt state. If debts are contracted during a marriage, both spouses are considered responsible for the debt. It doesn't matter whether both names are on the account. ... The bottom line here – joint obligations are not erased if one of the account signers dies.
746135
You are not legally responsible for your partner's debts unless they are joint debts or you have acted as guarantor. It doesn't matter whether or not you are living together nor whether you are married or even if you own a house together – although that latter situation can get pretty complicated.
230232
When someone dies, any debts left unpaid are paid out of their 'estate' or the cash, investments, property and possessions they leave behind. You are not automatically responsible for your husband's debts; you are only responsible if you had a joint loan or agreement or provided a loan guarantee.
1336955
But in addition, debts incurred by you or your spouse during your marriage (regardless of whose name is on it) are generally deemed to be community debts and both spouses are considered equally liable. This means that even if the credit card debt was incurred by your spouse alone, you may be on the hook for it.
583621
In most cases you will not be responsible to pay off your deceased spouse's debts. As a general rule, no one else is obligated to pay the debt of a person who has died.
1467900
All assets are in both of their names. Is my mother liable for the credit card debt? ... She said in New Jersey, family members, including the surviving spouse, are not typically obligated to pay the debts from their own assets unless they have co-signed the obligation.
233469
Similar to the answer above, the spouse is not legally responsible for funeral expenses. However, it is typical for the surviving spouse to manage funeral planning and costs.
1193140
Who is Responsible to Pay the Debt? An individual who dies who owes money to creditors is largely still responsible for that debt after they are deceased. Specifically, their estate owes the money to the creditors. ... This is a formal requirement and requires an actual filing of the claim in the Tennessee probate estate.
694079
The general rule in Virginia is that you are not responsible for your spouse's personal debts. Furthermore, assets owned by a surviving spouse due to a right of survivorship are not subject to claims by creditors for debts owed by the deceased spouse.
849954
No, when someone dies owing a debt, the debt does not go away. Generally, the deceased person's estate is responsible for paying any unpaid debts. ... If there was a co-signer on a loan, the co-signer owes the debt. If there is a joint account holder on a credit card, the joint account holder owes the debt.
219402
Debts which are in the deceased name only can be paid out of the value of the estate. ... Any surviving spouse, civil partner, or relative cannot be required to pay off individual debts out of their own pocket, unless they have provided a personal guarantee.
47167
When someone dies, their debts become a liability on their estate. The executor of the estate, or the administrator if no Will has been left, is responsible for paying any outstanding debts from the estate. ... Any remaining debts are likely to be written off.