What Happens to my Debt When I Die? Is it Forgiven or Transferable?

Some debts are forgiven when you die, but others may be collected from your estate’s value during probate. If you die in a community property state, your surviving spouse may be responsible for your debt. If your outstanding loans are greater than your estate, the debt will typically not be transferred to family members.

However, anyone that cosigned a loan is a joint credit card account holder or that wants to retain specific property may be held liable for your debt.

What happens to your debt when you die?

There is some variation on what happens to a deceased person’s debt (depending on the laws of the state where you live), but the financial process of what happens when someone dies is relatively consistent.

First, your estate’s executor, appointed by the state’s probate court, obtains a record of all your outstanding debts from a credit report or a review of the deceased bills. The executor should notify the Social Security Administration and all your lenders when you passed away, sending certified copies of your death certificate and any essential account information.

When you die, all your debts are passed on to your estate, so the executor will compile a list of all outstanding debts and determine the order in which they legally should be paid.

The order of payment varies by state, and some forms of debt, such as medical bills or a mortgage, are typically given the first claim. This process of aggregating assets, paying off debts, and distributing any remaining to your heirs is called probate, and can take several months if you don’t have a clear will in place.

The majority of your assets immediately become part of your estate when you pass away, meaning creditors can come after them. However, that typically doesn’t apply to:

The accounts listed above require you to name beneficiaries and skip the probate process. However, if you forget to name them, or they are all deceased upon your death, your assets remain within the estate. This is why it’s essential to keep your designated beneficiary lists updated every few years.

Will your debts be forgiven or are they transferable?

Since your debts are transferred to your estate when you pass away, if your liquid assets (such as checking and savings accounts) are large enough to cover them, no debts will be passed on to your spouse or heirs. The situation becomes more tricky if:

In these situations, whether a debt is forgiven, transferable, or be passed along to your immediate family will vary according to the type of debt.

Student loans after you die

Federal student loans are forgiven when the student passes away. Similarly, federal PLUS loans are forgiven when either the student or their parent dies.

The rules for private student loans vary according to the lender and state. While some private lenders, such as Sallie Mae, will forgive the loan when you pass away, most will attempt to collect from your estate. If your estate doesn’t have enough money to cover the loan, it may only impact your family if:

If you don’t live in a community property state and no one cosigned the loan, the lender may attempt to collect from your estate but has no recourse if there’s not enough money. So, the student loan will go away as the lender can’t collect from your family.

Mortgage loans when you die

Your house isn’t usually considered part of your estate. So, for example, if your credit card debts exceeded the value of the rest of your assets, the credit card issuer wouldn’t be able to put a lien against your home. However, a mortgage loan is not forgiven when you pass away and it will need to be paid.

Your spouse or the person that inherits your house will typically have the option to take over mortgage payments when you pass away. If they’re unable to make the mortgage payments and your estate cannot cover the outstanding mortgage, the person that inherited the house will have to sell it and pay back the mortgage. Otherwise, the lender most likely will foreclose on the property.

Credit card debt after your death

When you pass away, the executor of your estate should notify credit card issuers as they will stop adding on any fees or penalties to the outstanding debt until the estate is settled.

Joint cardholders are responsible for an outstanding bill if you pass away. Authorized users of the credit card are not. However, if an authorized user attempts to use the credit card after you pass away, it could be viewed as fraud or they could be held responsible for any balance.

And a spouse could be held responsible for the debt if you lived in a community property state.

If you didn’t have a joint cardholder or did not lie in a community property state, then the balance on the cards after your death would be collected from your estate. Any other fees or penalties would not have to be paid.

What happens when you die with medical bills?

Medical debt is somewhat more complex but, assuming you didn’t receive Medicaid, your family would likely only be held responsible if: They made a financial commitment or guarantee to the medical institution. Given the high cost of care, this is often requested when a family member stays for an extended period at a hospital or nursing home. In addition, if your family’s legal relationship to you involves a "duty of support" or if they claimed you as a dependent, they could be responsible for the cost of your care.

While the majority of states have filial responsibility laws, these are rarely enforced. Filial responsibility laws can require any adult children to pay for medical bills that weren’t covered by your estate. If you received Medicaid, the state could file a claim against your estate for any money spent on your medical care after age 55. There are some caveats to this, so it’s a good idea to check your state’s regulations. However, this debt would not be transferable to your heirs and family members.

Car loan after your death

Car loans are not forgiven at death so, if your estate can’t cover the debt, the person that inherits the vehicle needs to decide whether they want to keep it. If they do want to keep the car, the inheritor can take over the auto loan payments and maintain possession of it. Otherwise, the car could be repossessed by the lender.

Debt collectors and family members

Loan cosigners and joint account holders can be held responsible for debt, and family members may have to pay debts for inherited property they intend to keep. While community property states can only hold a spouse responsible for loans taken out during your marriage, half of the community property can be considered part of your estate and used to pay creditors.

Assuming none of these situations apply, creditors are usually "out of luck" for any debts that can’t be paid by the value of your estate. Exceptions to this can occur if:

It’s common for debt collectors to reach out to family members and pursue payment, but these inquiries should be directed towards the estate’s executor. If debt collectors begin to personally harass the surviving family or suggest (incorrectly) that your family is responsible for the deceased’s debts, a complaint should be filed with the state’s Attorney General’s office.

Using life insurance to protect your heirs from debt

Life insurance is commonly used in financial planning to help families cover debts once a loved one has passed away. Depending on the amount of debt and how long you expect it to be outstanding, you can choose between term and permanent coverage.

Term life insurance

Term life insurance can be used to shield your heirs from debts or make sure your spouse can maintain their standard of living. Term policies are the cheapest form of life insurance coverage and can be tailored to the size of your debts, such as mortgages or auto loans. Term life is an excellent option if you have a large amount of debt or you are uncertain how long the debt will be outstanding, like a 30-year mortgage, for example.

You may purchase a term life insurance policy with a matching death benefit and term length as a home mortgage. And it’s important to note, erm life insurance policies are cheaper than other forms of insurance, so they’re usually the best choice if you need a large amount of coverage.

When you purchase a term policy, you can name specific beneficiaries to receive the death benefit if you pass away. Upon your death, the beneficiaries file claims and are paid directly by the insurer, as the money isn’t considered a part of your estate.

The only exceptions to this are if you don’t name a beneficiary or your beneficiaries pass away first. In these cases, the life insurance payout would be added to your estate and could be used to pay outstanding debts.

Joint life insurance

Joint life insurance policies are a form of permanent life insurance and are typically purchased by couples. Joint policies payout upon the death of either you or the other policyholder. When a death benefit is paid depends on the structure of the policy:

Credit life insurance & mortgage life insurance

When you get a loan, you may be offered credit life insurance as a form of protection to ensure your spouse or heirs don’t inherit your debt. Credit life insurance is similar to term life insurance, but the only beneficiary is the lender, and premiums are more expensive.

We recommend that you don’t purchase credit life insurance and, if you’re concerned about debts being passed on, purchase a term life insurance policy instead. And you should not let a lender pressure you to buy life insurance when obtaining a loan. Though there are some cases in which a lender can require you to provide proof of life insurance to secure a loan, they cannot mandate that you purchase coverage through them. is a type of credit life insurance. We don’t recommend it if you’re able to obtain a term life insurance policy elsewhere.

However, if you have significant pre-existing conditions, some insurers will not offer a large enough death benefit to cover a mortgage. In these cases, if you want to make sure your spouse or children can stay in your family home, mortgage life insurance can be a helpful method of financial protection for your family.