Guest Author’s Bio : The following article has been contributed by Sophie Kinsella, Columnistm who writes on topics like bankruptcy, credit and debt.

Marriage is one of the most important decisions that every individual takes in his or her life. It is a lifetime commitment that is made between two persons. However, it still happens, perhaps due to difference in opinion or mentality, that one partner decides to leave the other and break the vows of marriage.

When you were married and living together, you probably used credit cards for making various purchases. But you may not have paid the outstanding balance in full. Being entangled in credit card debt in a divorce is doubly painful because it is a stage of your life where you will no more be acting in concert with your life partner. You may need the help of a credit card debt consolidation to repay the credit card debt after getting divorced from your partner.

Here are three ways to divide credit card debt between a couple during divorce:

1. Cancel all your credit cards – When you are planning to divorce, you should not apply for any new joint credit cards. If you have applied in the past, make sure that you cancel all your new credit cards as this may create problems in future since you and your partner will no longer stay together. Also make it a point to cancel all the joint credit cards that you both may have so as to avoid any unnecessary trouble after separation.

2. Make equal distribution of the debt – Since you are divorcing your partner, it does not mean that you are not responsible for the past debts that have been incurred by both of you. The credit card debts that you and your partner had incurred in the past should be paid off before separation.  In case you and your partner have not done so, make it a point to pay it off at the earliest possible time so that both of you can lead a debt free life after divorce.

3. Request a final statement of each card – You and your partner may have several credit cards. You may request a final statement on each card from the credit card companies and add up the total debt amount that you and your spouse need to pay off. Once you get the statement, make it a point to pay off your own credit card debt as soon as possible so that your partner does not have to worry about the debt that you owe after separation.

By following the steps above, you and your spouse will be able to get rid of credit card debts after divorce.