In most cases you will not be responsible to pay off your deceased spouse’s debts. If there is a joint account holder on a credit card, the joint account holder owes the debt. A joint account holder is different from an “authorized user.” An authorized user is not usually responsible for the amount owed.

Are you responsible for your wife’s medical bills?

In most cases in California, a spouse is responsible for all the bills, including medical, of their late partner. California is one of the few states that’s a “community property” state and so most debt accumulated by a married person is a “marital obligation” with liability for both people.

What happens if both spouses fail to pay bills?

In some scenarios, such as a mortgage payment, joint credit card account, or car loan, both spouses may have their name on the bill. When both spouses are listed as responsible parties to the debt, failure to pay those bills on time will result in credit damage to both parties.

Who is responsible for your wife’s medical bills?

In addition, in some states, spouses (and parents) can be held responsible for their spouse’s (or children’s) medical debts. So the first question is whether you are responsible for these debts of your wife’s and the best we can tell you is that you may be.

What happens if my name is not on the household bills?

‘As far as the household bills are concerned it is only the person who is actually named on the account that is liable to the companies involved for payment. However if there is an express agreement to share bills then your housemate could in theory take you to Court to seek to recover your share through the small claims procedure.’

Do you have to pay bills if your name is not on them?

He said: ‘If your name is not on the bills then there is no obligation for you to pay a share of them, unless you have previously agreed to do so. In a shared house it is therefore important to have a clear agreement about how bills are going to be paid.’