Divorce has become quite common in the state of Ohio, to the point where it is no longer taboo to discuss. What many couples don’t realize is that joint debt can haunt you if it is not dealt with during the divorce process. For example, a credit card company does not operate using divorce decrees. So, if there is joint debt after a divorce and your spouse fails to pay it, the companies will still come after you. Here are some tips to avoid that situation.
It will be in your best interest, and that of your spouse, to leave the marriage with no joint debt between the two of you. This might seem like a daunting task at the time to undertake, but it is imperative you have this figured out prior to finalizing the divorce. You have two options here: Pay the debt completely or divide the debt evenly and have it transferred to cards in each other’s name, not joint cards. Once this is done you should cancel all joint credit cards so neither spouse can rack up more debt that would be considered joint.
If you have already separated from your spouse, keep a record of all charges made to the joint credit card accounts. This will come in handy when meeting with a divorce attorney. The charges made after a couple separates are the responsibility of the person who made the charge, not the couple itself.
Early in the separation, you should meet with your divorce attorney and consider filing documentation with the courts. The documentation should include identification of all joint credit cards and the debt owed on them at the time. This puts the information on the record and protects you from your spouse running debt up in your name.
Headed for divorce in Ohio? Contact our firm to discuss how you can handle joint debt at the time of the proceedings by splitting the debt or paying it off in full.