DIVORCE AND YOUR CREDIT SCORE

Divorce is never easy and dissolving a marriage can have its challenges. With all the turmoil of a divorce it is easy to neglect your credit score. It is crucial to protect your credit score.

Filing for divorce or the actual divorce proceedings will not impact your credit reports or credit scores. If you and your former spouse have kept separate finances, you’re likely to see no direct impact. But, if the two of you continue to hold joint credit accounts (such as credit card or a mortgage account) and those accounts are not paid as agreed, your credit scores and credit reports could be negatively impacted. If you hold a joint credit account, in the eyes of a creditor you are both still liable for it because credit was granted to you both.

Many people mistakenly believe that because a divorce decree gives your spouse liability for some joint debts, that you no longer liable for them. Your credit score may still be impacted if your spouse misses a payment while the debt is still included in your credit record.

You will also be liable for the debt if your spouse makes a lot of transactions on a joint credit card account. Even if all payments are made on time, a high credit use rate on a common credit card may harm both your and your ex’s credit ratings.

It is critical to ensure payments are made on time while your name is on a joint account. This will help you make a clean break from your financial obligations.

The best thing to do is to pay off and close the joint accounts, if this is not possible, you should contact each creditor for your options to convert to an individual account.

It might also be wise to monitor your credit reports periodically to keep your credit safe. By doing this, you can maintain good credit and prevent unpleasant surprises as you move into a new phase of your life.