If a Wife Is Secondary on Credit, Is She Responsible?

It's very common for spouses to share responsibility for various kinds of credit and loans, such as credit cards or mortgages. Who is responsible for the debt, however, depends upon the conditions under which you entered into the credit agreement. If your wife is "secondary" on the loan, she may or may not be responsible for it.

Secondary

When dealing with credit, it's important to know exactly what kind of relationship you have with you creditor and any co-borrowers, such as your spouse. There are two main kinds of relationships: co-account holders and authorized users. A person who is "secondary" may or may not be responsible for the unpaid debts, but being a "secondary" user doesn't necessarily make your wife responsible. Further, being secondary on a loan may or may not mean your wife's credit report would contain the credit information.

Joint Accounts

A joint account is one in which both spouses are legally responsible for repaying the debt. For example, if you and your spouse have a joint credit account in which both of you applied for the card and the card has both your name and your spouse's name on it, both of you have to repay the card according to the terms of the credit agreement. Even if you are the only person who uses the card and typically pays the bills, your wife is still responsible for the debt. If you don't pay the card back, the creditor can sue your wife for the unpaid debt.

Authorized Users

An authorized user, unlike a co-account holder, is not legally responsible for a debt. For example, some credit cards allow account holders to add another person as an authorized user. An authorized user can use the credit card just as the account holder can, but she is not responsible for the debt. If an authorized user makes purchases with the card and doesn't pay them, the creditor can only sue the account holder to recover the debt.

Credit Report

A credit report contains information about a single person's credit history. Spouses, though they do not have joint credit reports, may share credit information if they have joint accounts. If, for example, you and your wife have a joint credit card, both credit reports contain information about the account. If your wife is an authorized user, her report does not contain the account information, while yours does.