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We're the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a U.S. government agency that makes sure banks, lenders, and other financial companies treat you fairly.

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My spouse and I had a joint account. We are no longer living together and the monthly bills have been sent to my spouse’s address. He/she has not paid them and now the card issuer is charging late fees. Am I responsible?

Answer:

Typically, if payments are not made on time, late fees can be charged and each account holder can be held responsible. 

Your cardholder agreement will govern what happens in this situation and you should consult it. (You should be able to find a copy of the agreement on your card issuer’s website, and you can request a copy from your card issuer if it is not there. If you have any questions, you should contact your card issuer.) Unless you have told the card issuer to send statements to a new address, the card issuer can continue to send statements to the address that was previously given to the card issuer.

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