Credit card debt often plays a significant role in divorce—both as a factor in the cause of the divorce and as an obstacle to dissolving the marriage, as responsibility for the debt must be agreed to by the divorcing spouses or determined by the court.

If the spouses live in a community property state (as opposed to a common law property/equitable distribution state) and the credit card was applied for and issued to only one of the spouses, the bank may only be able to seek payment from the spouse in whose name the card was issued and the credit was extended—but in resolving the divorce case, the court (judge) may order community property sold to pay the credit card debt, or may order the other spouse to pay the credit card debt. Community property states generally include Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Vermont is not a community property state; it is an equitable distribution state. This means that during a divorce, debts and assets are not automatically split 50/50. Instead, the court looks to divide marital property and debts in a manner that is fair and equitable, which may not necessarily be equal. Credit card debt incurred during the marriage is typically considered marital debt and responsibility for it will be allocated between the spouses as part of the divorce proceedings. The court will consider various factors, such as each spouse's economic circumstances, contributions to the marriage, and the debt's purpose, to determine how to divide the responsibility for credit card debt. If the credit card was in one spouse's name, the creditor may initially seek payment from that individual, but the divorce court can order the other spouse to pay part or all of the debt if it deems it appropriate as part of the equitable distribution.