§ 913 Spousal Debt Liability Rules

• •Your own stuff (like money or things you owned before marriage) can be taken to pay for your own debts, even if you're married.
• •Your own stuff usually can't be taken to pay for your spouse's debts, even if you're married.
• •If you agree to use shared property (like a house you both own) to pay your spouse's debt, your own stuff is still safe unless you also owe that debt.

Before getting married, Alex had a credit card with $5,000 in debt. After marrying Taylor, Alex still hasn’t paid it off.

The credit card company can take Alex’s savings account (which Alex had before marriage) to pay the debt, but they can’t take Taylor’s car (Taylor’s separate property) to pay for Alex’s debt.