 TITLE: How to Handle Credit and Debt After the Death of a Spouse CONTENT: Am I Responsible for My Deceased Spouse's Debt?\n-----------------------------------------------\nWhen your spouse dies, their debt survives, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're responsible for paying it. The debt of a deceased person is paid from their _estate_, which is simply the sum of all the assets they owned at death. If your spouse had a will, the executor they named in the will uses the estate to pay off creditors. If your spouse didn't have a will, a probate court judge will decide how to distribute their estate and will choose an administrator to carry out those decisions.\nIn general, you are not responsible for your spouse's debts unless you held a joint credit account (which is different from being an authorized user on your spouse's account); cosigned for a loan, debt or account; or live in one of the nine community property states—Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. (Alaska residents have the option to choose community property by signing a special agreement.)\nCommunity property states generally hold spouses responsible for one another's debts. However, laws differ from one community property state to another. If you're not sure what the law requires, consult an attorney familiar with estate law in your state.\nIf you signed or cosigned hospital admission papers or medical treatment authorizations, you may also be responsible for any medical bills your spouse incurred that their insurance doesn't pay. This depends on your state's laws and the specific documents you signed.\nIf your spouse's assets at the time of their death don't cover their debts, will you be forced to hand over the proceeds of their life insurance policy or tap their retirement account to pay the bills? Thankfully, certain assets—including life insurance policies, retirement plans, brokerage accounts and any assets held in a living trust—are protected from creditors and can't be pursued to pay debts after a spouse's death. Otherwise, the estate executor or probate administrator will refer to your state's probate laws to prioritize creditors and distribute payments accordingly until the money runs out. If there's not enough money to pay all the debts, some creditors will not get paid. END