Another option discussed by Ms. Shepard is if one
spouse files for bankruptcy on their own.
If you are in the process of divorce when
your spouse files for bankruptcy, the property division aspects of your divorce proceedings will come to a halt until the bankruptcy proceedings are complete.
If you are the dependent spouse, however, you must be aware that if
your spouse files for bankruptcy after the separation and property settlement agreement has been signed, then they may have more cash available for support.
-- If
your spouse files for bankruptcy, your credit score may or may not be impacted, depending on where you live and what you owe.
Not exact matches
Filing for bankruptcy in Canada does not directly affect your
spouse.
It's time
for another FAQ podcast and today we talk about if and when you might be responsible
for your
spouse's debt and how one
spouse filing bankruptcy might affect the other.
If the couple lives in the same house, the
spouse who will
file should declare the income of the
spouse who will not
file for bankruptcy.
One
spouse may need to
file for bankruptcy — that does not mean the other
spouse has to do the same thing.
She says inmates who try to
file for bankruptcy do so because a
spouse on the outside can't keep up with the bills.
Recently on our legal forum a user asked, «My
spouse and I
filed for bankruptcy about eight years ago.
So
for a
bankruptcy debtor who is separated and / or going through a divorce, the homestead is available
for that person even if he or she has moved out of the home they own, provided that the other
spouse, or the debtor's children are living in the home at the time the case is
filed.
If you and your
spouse have debt that is in both of your names, keep in mind that if only one of you
files bankruptcy, the other
spouse will often still be responsible
for paying the debt.
A non-
filing spouse should not have their credit damaged as a result of their husband or wife
filing for bankruptcy.
If so, it may be best
for the heavily indebted
spouse to
file bankruptcy to preserve the other's credit score.
One of the most common questions
bankruptcy attorneys receive is: «How will
filing for bankruptcy affect my
spouse?»
This rule has big implications if you're preparing
for bankruptcy because if you
file without your
spouse, your joint debt will become your
spouse's full responsibility.
Some of the advantages of
filing before: Elimination of all debts which will reduce arguments over who pays
for what; Paying
for only one
bankruptcy and not two; Making a
spouse who would not be eligible
for filing for a Chapter 7 eligible by using a larger household size.
Therefore, even when only an individual is
filing for bankruptcy, it is wise
for the
spouse to review their credit report with all three credit reporting agencies to confirm the
bankruptcy is not reflected there as well.
Prior to 2008, Western District of New York courts held that when a husband and a wife both
file bankruptcy and one
spouse has a life insurance policy with cash value and the other
spouse as the beneficiary, the
bankruptcy trustee, as trustee
for both the owner and beneficiary of the policy, could claim in the cash value.
In some cases, if you want to protect your home and you are
filing with your
spouse, using the federal
bankruptcy exemptions will be the best option
for you.
For filing bankruptcy purposes in a community property state, unless your
spouse owns property you can prove has never been owned jointly, you will have to list 50 % of the value of the property as part of your assets.
Sometimes a married person would like to
file for bankruptcy, but the
spouse chooses not to
file.
Federal
bankruptcy laws, even in a common law property state, generally states that if only one
spouse files for a Chapter 7
bankruptcy, only that
spouse's debts will be discharged.
If the
spouse filing has no joint debt with the non-
filing spouse or joint accounts
for the trustee to go after, there is really no conflict of interest that would prevent the
spouse from buying a house during the
bankruptcy.
As a result, the other
spouse is liable
for their
spouse's debts should they default on their payments or
file for bankruptcy.
If you have joint and other debts that you may be unable to pay, or if you have questions about how
filing for bankruptcy will affect your
spouse, your marriage and your family, contact us today
for a free consultation.
On the other hand, things are not always that simple and there are certain situations when the fact that you
filed for bankruptcy can impact your
spouse and your marriage.
If you
file for a chapter 7
bankruptcy as an individual after divorcing, only your individual debts may be discharged, not your
spouse's debts.
We have represented clients in
bankruptcy when their
spouse or ex-
spouse files for bankruptcy.
Spouses and ex-
spouses file bankruptcy for many reasons.
If you are considering
filing for bankruptcy, whether you do it before or after you separate from your
spouse can have a major impact on your legal options.
The better practice will often be
for one of the
spouses to
file a motion
for relief from the automatic stay in the chapter 13
bankruptcy case to continue and conclude the Virginia divorce case.
If a Virginia foreclosure sale is imminent, either
spouse may
file a chapter 13
bankruptcy case to preserve the equity in real estate in their joint names, or to save the former marital residence
for continued occupancy by one or both of the
spouses.
Do I have to include my
spouse's income
for means testing if I
file an individual
bankruptcy while my
spouse and I are living separate and apart under same roof?
The discharge in
bankruptcy is personal to the debtor
spouse and does not extinguish a joint debt
for the
spouse who did not
file bankruptcy.
Either
spouse may decide to
file a
bankruptcy before a divorce in order to preserve an asset
for his or her use, or
for the use of his or her
spouse, or
for equitable distribution by a Virginia circuit court judge in a divorce proceeding.
on Do I have to include my
spouse's income
for means testing if I
file an individual
bankruptcy while my
spouse and I are living separate and apart under same roof?
A husband or wife might also wish to consider the possibility of whether a
bankruptcy filing would protect that
spouse from being held in civil, non-punitive, contempt of court by a Virginia state court judge
for failing to abide by the terms of a family law court order.
If your surviving
spouse or partner
files for bankruptcy, it may take seven to ten years (or longer) after losing the home or going through foreclosure to qualify to buy another home.
If your divorce decree assigns a joint debt to your
spouse for payment but he
files for Chapter 7
bankruptcy, your creditors can pursue repayment from you instead, even if your divorce decree says otherwise.
Include a provision that a
spouse who
files for bankruptcy agrees to notify the other
spouse of the
bankruptcy filing within a certain period of time, such as 10 days, to give the nonfiling
spouse the opportunity to contest the discharge of marital debts in
bankruptcy.
If you and your
spouse have
filed jointly
for Chapter 13 protection,
bankruptcy law can lock you together post-divorce, but you have some options.
When a person who is married decides to
file for bankruptcy, the law permits him or her to do so alone, without requiring both
spouses to
file.
Do you think it is fair that a non-filing
spouse's finances are considered when a married person
files for bankruptcy?
For example, at least two - thirds of millennials identified that having a joint account with their spouse (65 percent), making late rent payments (76 percent) and filing for bankruptcy (83 percent) all have the capacity to affect one's cred
For example, at least two - thirds of millennials identified that having a joint account with their
spouse (65 percent), making late rent payments (76 percent) and
filing for bankruptcy (83 percent) all have the capacity to affect one's cred
for bankruptcy (83 percent) all have the capacity to affect one's credit.