When getting married, how will one individual's bad credit score impact another who has an excellent credit score?

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August 16th, 2010 - Posted by Tasha

Q:  When getting married, how will one individual's bad credit score impact another who has an excellent credit score?

A: The good news is that each of you will continue to have your own, separate credit report and score.  This is because everyone keeps an individual credit report throughout their life.  However, if the two of you were to open a joint credit account or co-sign on a loan, your credit history may be affected.  For example, if you open a joint account and your spouse were to overcharge the credit card or default on the loan, this information will show up on both your credit reports and affect both your scores.

It's important to note that if you live in a community-property state, any debt that occurs during the marriage is a joint debt, whether the account is a joint account or is only in one of your names.   Depending upon your situation, it may make sense to seek additional legal and/or financial advice.

Regardless of whether you maintain your own, separate financial accounts or the two of you join forces, it still makes sense to keep a close eye on your credit history.  The easiest (and cheapest) way of doing this is to sign up for a credit report monitoring service.  These services monitor your credit reports 24/7, and alert you of any changes.