Will Business Bankruptcy Ruin My Personal Credit?

Learn More About the Effects of Bankruptcy:

In the vast majority of cases, small-business owners are personally liable for some or all of the debt incurred while operating the business. This means that while you may have a credit card in the name of the business, you used your personal Social Security number to set up the account. This makes your credit and assets liable for that debt.

There are some cases, however, where the business owner is not personally liable for the debt of the business.

Vendors: If you did not personally guarantee your debts with the vendors, you would not be personally liable for outstanding vendor balances. You should contact each vendor and return any unsold inventory. While that does not make the vendor whole, it will at least mitigate their losses.

Credit cards: There are two ways to determine whether you are personally liable:

  • Call the credit card company and use your Social Security number to look up your account. If your account comes up with that number, it is more likely than not that you are personally liable for that account.
  • Look at the credit card agreement. There will be a clause in the agreement that states you guarantee the outstanding balance in the event of default. If the business fails to pay, you and your assets become vulnerable.

Filing a business bankruptcy requires careful planning and competent legal counsel to prevent the business owner from becoming liable for debts incurred on behalf of the business. If you would like more information about bankruptcy, contact the Law Office of Howard Tagg today at (903) 581-9961 to schedule your free consultation or fill out the form below.

 

 

 

 

 

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