If I file for bankruptcy, will it hurt my co-signer’s credit score?

Written by Kristin Turner, Harvard Law Grad. Legally reviewed by Attorney Andrea Wimmer
Updated October 30, 2021

No. In short, if you file bankruptcy, your Social Security number is the one the bankruptcy attaches to. A co-signer’s Social Security number will not be involved, and thus the bankruptcy does not go on their credit.

But, unless you or your co-signer are making regular on-time payments on the debt even after your bankruptcy case has been filed, your co-signer's credit score will be negatively impacted. If you stop making payments on the debt, and your co-signer isn't making payments either, this will be reported to the credit bureaus for both of you. This happens irrespective of whether a bankruptcy has been filed. Your Chapter 7 discharge will not protect the co-signer from creditor actions.

If you have a co-signer on your car loan, check out this article to learn more about how this will work.

Written By:

Kristin Turner, Harvard Law Grad

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Kristin is a recipient of Harvard Law School’s Public Welfare Foundation A2J Tech Fellowship. At Harvard Law, she served as a member of the Harvard Defenders, the Women’s Law Association, and the Harvard Law Negotiation Review. She was the 2016 – 2017 president of the Harvard Bla... read more about Kristin Turner, Harvard Law Grad

Attorney Andrea Wimmer

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Andrea practiced exclusively as a bankruptcy attorney in consumer Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases for more than 10 years before joining Upsolve, first as a contributing writer and editor and ultimately joining the team as Managing Editor. While in private practice, Andrea handled... read more about Attorney Andrea Wimmer

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