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The Daily Insight Hub

Will adding an authorized user lower my credit score?

Author

Jackson Reed

Updated on February 18, 2026

Does adding an authorized user hurt your credit? Adding an authorized user to your credit card account alone shouldn’t have a negative impact on your credit. But keep in mind that if that person uses your credit irresponsibly, negative credit impact could follow.

Does marital status affect FICO score?

Getting married does not automatically change your credit score. You and your spouse will continue to maintain your own separate credit histories and scores. However, marrying someone with bad credit could affect your finances in other ways. There are many reasons why someone might have bad credit.

When you get married does your debt become your spouse’s?

Legally, debt brought into marriage is typically the responsibility of the person who incurred it. Some married couples choose to pay off separate debts together, but in the event of a divorce, remaining debt brought into the marriage will be owed by the spouse who incurred it.

How does being an authorized user affect your credit score?

If you find your score is in the 700s, you may want to think twice before you go forward. Adding a new credit instrument such as a secured card for which you are personally responsible will have more of a positive impact on your credit than being an authorized user.

What happens if you have a joint credit account with your spouse?

If you have a joint credit account with your spouse, and he or she fails to make on-time payments, the late payments will appear on both of your credit reports. Naturally, these late payments would also harm both of your credit scores.

Can a bad spouse affect your credit score?

Tying the knot often means tying your finances to your spouse’s. And while there isn’t a direct link between your spouse’s credit score and your credit score — you won’t have bad credit just because your spouse does — there are some cases where bad credit management by one spouse can negatively affect the credit score of the other spouse.

How does someone else’s credit score affect your credit?

When you are an authorized user on someone else’s credit account, all of the history associated with that account is imported into your credit report. If they failed to make on-time payments in the past, or keep high balances on that account, it could negatively affect your credit report and score.