Am I responsible for my parents debt after they die?
Sophia Koch
Updated on January 25, 2026
A: In most cases, children are not responsible for their parents’ debts after they pass away. However, if you are a joint account holder on any credit cards or loans, you would be liable for paying off the amounts due.
Am I responsible for my parents medical bills when they die?
In most cases, the deceased person’s estate is responsible for paying any debt left behind, including medical bills. If there’s not enough money in the estate, family members still generally aren’t responsible for covering a loved one’s medical debt after death — although there are some exceptions.
What happens to hospital bills when a person dies?
Your medical bills don’t go away when you die, but that doesn’t mean your survivors have to pay them. Instead, medical debt—like all debt remaining after you die—is paid by your estate. If you had a will and named an executor, that person uses the money from your estate to pay your outstanding debts.
Who is responsible for medical bills of a deceased parent?
Thirty states have laws that require the adult child to repay any unpaid medical bills that the parent or their estate can’t cover. These are called filial responsibility laws. Many states don’t impose them, but there have been cases in the past where hospitals and nursing homes and sued adult children in order to be paid.
What happens to the debt of a deceased parent?
The debt of a deceased parent can be daunting. You often won’t know how much debt your parents had, which bills were automatically paid and which were handled individually. It’s important to track down as many of the bills and debts your parents had so that you won’t be hearing from the companies later down the line.
What happens to unpaid bills when a person dies?
When a person dies with unpaid debt, that debt does not directly pass to the surviving family. 1 In other words, they don’t inherit the bills. However, that debt doesn’t just vanish. Unpaid debt becomes the responsibility of the deceased person’s estate.
Who is responsible for paying taxes on a deceased person?
The decedent’s estate’s executor is responsible for negotiating and paying any debts left by an individual, using the decedent’s remaining money and property. If a decedent’s estate is insufficient to pay all debts (referred to as an insolvent estate), federal income and estate income taxes must be paid first.