How to Remove an Ex-Spouse From Your Credit Report

Ending a long-term relationship or marriage is a life-changing event with lasting consequences on your finances and lifestyle.

Many people assume their credit accounts separate automatically once a divorce is finalized. The reality is that creditors aren’t bound by family court orders. Any accounts you shared with your former spouse can keep appearing on your credit report, affecting your credit history long after the relationship ends.

There’s no form that erases a joint account from your credit report, but there are steps that limit the damage to build your own credit history.

Can you remove an ex-spouse from your credit report?

Sometimes, but your ex doesn’t appear on your credit report as a person. What appears is an account that you shared or were an authorized user on.

For example, a joint credit card stays on both of your credit reports even after you close it. Closing the card stops the charges, but you’re both responsible for the existing balance, and not many issuers will convert a joint account to an individual one.

If your credit report contains inaccurate information after your divorce, dispute those errors with the credit bureaus. If it’s a mistake, it may correct or remove the inaccurate information from your report.

Learn more >> Does closing a credit card affect your credit score?

How joint accounts and authorized users affect your credit after divorce

A divorce decree may divide debt between the two of you, but it doesn’t rewrite your contracts with lenders or card issuers. If your name is still on the account, creditors can still come after you.

Joint accounts

Joint accounts are challenging after a divorce, as both account holders generally remain responsible for the debt. Even if your divorce requires your ex to make payments, if your ex-spouse makes late payments or racks up a higher balance on a joint account, it negatively affects your credit too. A typical solution is to pay off the account in full and close the account, or refinance, if it’s a mortgage or personal loan.

Authorized user accounts

Authorized user accounts are a bit easier to correct after a divorce. The primary account holder owns the debt, while the authorized user simply receives permission to use the account.

If you added your ex as an authorized user, you can usually remove them by contacting the card issuer. Likewise, if you were an authorized user on your spouse’s account, you can contact the issuer to ask to be removed.

Community property states

Some states follow the community property doctrine. In these jurisdictions, most assets and debts acquired during the marriage belong to both spouses, which becomes important during a divorce.

Learn whether you live in a community property state, and speak to a qualified legal professional or financial advisor to learn how the law affects you after a separation.

Learn more >> How to protect your credit score during a divorce

How to remove an ex-spouse from your credit reports

Separate accounts with your creditors to protect your credit report. However, make sure that you adhere to any court orders, especially if your divorce proceedings are ongoing. Once you’re legally allowed to do so, you can do the following to remove an ex-spouse:

Close or refinance joint accounts

The best way to address joint accounts is to refinance them in just one person’s name or close them altogether. Suppose that you and your ex-spouse financed two vehicles together and have agreed on who will keep each vehicle. You would need to refinance your vehicle solely in your name, and your ex would need to do the same with the other vehicle.

Remove your ex as an authorized user (or get removed yourself)

If you added your ex-spouse as an authorized user on any of your accounts, remove them as soon as possible. If you are listed as an authorized user on any of their accounts, ask them to remove you.

Keep in mind that removal may cause the account to disappear from your report, though timing and outcomes vary by bureau and issuer. If it was an old account in good standing, you may lose some positive history along with the risk.

Contact creditors to separate accounts

Some creditors offer hardship programs that can help you while you sort out payments, though few will split a joint account into two individual ones. Ask what your lender can actually do, and expect closing and reapplying (or refinancing, if a loan) to be the more realistic path.

Some lenders require a finalized divorce decree to be eligible for these programs. If your divorce is still ongoing, you may have to wait until the marriage is officially dissolved. In the meantime, work with your ex-spouse to split the payments or come up with an amicable solution.

Dispute inaccurate information with the credit bureaus

Review your credit reports regularly after your divorce. If you find any errors, reach out to the appropriate credit bureau and provide any necessary documentation to have the mistakes removed.

What to do if your ex damaged your credit

Unfortunately, financial problems can continue for months or even a few years after your divorce, especially if you are unable to close shared accounts. Here are options to explore if a joint account has damaged your credit profile.

Dispute errors tied to joint accounts

Disputes only work on actual errors like an account that was never yours, a status or balance that’s incorrect, or an account you were removed from that still appears.

Neither a divorce decree or the bureau can remove a late payment your ex made on a joint account.

Kikoff's AI-powered dispute tool helps you find errors on your report and generates personalized dispute letters in a few taps, then tracks each one as it moves forward.

Build a positive payment history

Payment history is a heavily weighted factor used to calculate your credit score. Add on-time payment activity to slowly rebuild your credit and bounce back after a divorce. Be consistent and create a budget you can stick to.

Learn more >> How divorce can hurt your credit — and what you can do to protect it

How to protect your credit during and after divorce

If you are in the midst of a divorce, take these steps to protect your credit:

• Pull your credit reports
• Identify any joint or authorized user accounts
• Remove your ex as an authorized user (and vice versa)
• Come up with a plan for paying joint accounts
• Close or refinance joint accounts as soon as possible

If your divorce decree assigns debt to your former spouse, do not assume that your credit is safe. Contact the creditors directly to discuss debt responsibilities.

Build your credit with Kikoff

Divorce can leave your credit worse off than your finances — a joint account your ex stopped paying, or a thin file because everything was in their name. Either way, building your credit starts with a positive history.

Kikoff's Credit Account reports your on-time payments to all three credit bureaus, so you're building a record that belongs to you alone.