Married filing single....

[baguy]

When married and filing single (in a non-comm prop state, IL), what exactly is your non-filing spouce's involvment? I know that their paystubs and bank statements are required and their "budget" is factored into the total household income and expenses, but what else? Are they required to be at the 341? Are they required to sign anything, or can the be left out of the process completley?

Also, we have NO joint debt (all debt is mine), but I read somewhere this:

"However, if you ran up the bills during the marriage, even though your spouse did not sign for the debt, or even know about it, your creditors may be able to collect from your spouse. Many states have "family expense" laws that make one spouse responsible for the debts of another if the debts were incurred for family purposes. The theory is that each spouse owes a duty to immediate family members to support them. Food, clothing, rent, medical bills and household items can be the responsibility of the other spouse. "

So if I ran up some of my credit card bills while we were married, does this mean the companies can come after my spouce for some / all of the debt?

If anybody has any experience with any of this, I would love to hear what you have to say. Thanks!

[shabam]

I am wondering about the same thing.

I have not really found any information on it.

[Brookamy]

I'm filing alone as well but am married. The debt is mine. We just got married and have separate checking accounts. I was told by my BK lawyer that we need his pay stubs from the past 6 months. They will take in what he earns, minus his bills and household expenses that he contributes to. However, they don't need to his bank statements, etc... It doesn't sound like he needs to sign anything or attend the the 341 and my filing BK doesn't affect his credit score.