Does My Credit Report Combine With My Spouse’s Credit Report When We Get Married?

From time to time I’ll receive questions from consumers regarding how their credit reports react to marriage. Many people believe that your credit reports and credit scores merge when you get married. This is a common misconception about the impact of marriage on credit reports. In the past, your credit report could your marital status and reference to your spouse’s name but not any longer.

Now, your credit report contains credit information, financial public records, and some identification information.  The only indication that you are married could be that you have a joint account.  This does not necessarily indicate that you are married, because this account could be held jointly with another family member and not just with a spouse.

Joint or authorized user accounts

When you get married, your spouse’s accounts are not added to your credit report, unless you open new accounts jointly or are added as an authorized user. If you become a joint user with your spouse, you are responsible for the balance on the account no matter if the amount owed was prior to becoming a joint user on the account.  If you are an authorized user on this account, you can use the account, but you are not responsible for the payments.

In both of these situations, the account is reported on your credit report. That is why you don’t want to be added as joint or an authorized user, if your fiancé has not paid the account on time in the past or present.  Their payment history on this account will be added to your credit report.  On the other hand, if they have paid the account on time, it won’t hurt your credit. This is why it is important to have a conversation about credit prior to getting married.   Keep in mind only the account that you hold jointly, are an authorized user or are a co-signer will be on your credit report, not the accounts in which you have no responsibility to pay.