Joint Debts in an IVA: What Happens to the Other Person?

What Happens to Joint Debts in an IVA?

Joint debts can go into your IVA, but the other person stays responsible for the full balance. The creditor can ask them to pay.

Last updated: November 2026

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Things to know about IVAs

An IVA is a formal insolvency procedure. It must be approved by your creditors, stays on your credit file for six years, fees are taken from your payments, and debts are only written off if you complete it. It isn’t right for everyone.

Read the key risks

Creditors must approve it. An IVA only goes ahead if creditors holding at least 75% of the debt that is voted agree. Your proposal can be rejected.
Credit file and public register. An IVA stays on your credit file for six years from the start date and is listed on the public Individual Insolvency Register while it runs. Getting credit will be harder.
Spending restrictions and annual reviews. You live on an agreed budget for the length of the IVA (usually 5–6 years). Your income and spending are reviewed each year, and your payment can go up.
Fees. Fees are taken from your monthly payments, so less of what you pay reaches your creditors. How IVA fees work.
Your home. Under the current IVA Protocol, your home isn’t included in the IVA and you won’t be asked to remortgage. If your share of the equity is £10,000 or more, the IVA usually lasts six years instead of five.
If it fails. If you can’t keep up payments the IVA may fail, you would owe the remaining debt again, and the supervisor may petition for your bankruptcy.
Write-off only on completion. Remaining qualifying unsecured debts are only written off if the IVA is completed successfully. Secured debts, court fines, child maintenance, student loans and some other debts can’t be included.
Other options may suit you better. A debt management plan, DRO or bankruptcy may be more suitable. IVAs are available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland only; different solutions apply in Scotland.

Joint loans, joint overdrafts and joint credit cards are common, especially for couples. If only one of you enters an IVA, the other person needs to understand what that means for them.

The short answer

A joint debt can be included in your IVA.
The other account holder is jointly and severally liable: they can be asked to pay the whole amount.
The creditor may chase the other person once your IVA starts.
If you both need help, linked IVAs for each of you may be an option.
Joint mortgages and secured loans stay outside the IVA.

What does joint and several liability mean?

When two people take out credit together, each is responsible for the whole debt, not just half. If one person can’t pay, the lender can ask the other for the full balance.

What happens when I include a joint debt in my IVA?

The creditor becomes part of your IVA and can’t chase you personally for that debt while the IVA runs. But the other person isn’t in your IVA, so the creditor can still ask them to pay. When your IVA completes, your liability ends, but theirs doesn’t.

What can couples do?

If you both have debts you can’t manage, you may each be able to have an IVA, set up to work together. See joint IVAs for couples. If only one of you is struggling, talk openly with the other person first, as your IVA will affect them.

What about debts only in my partner's name?

You aren’t usually responsible for debts in your partner’s sole name. Council tax is an exception for couples living together. See am I liable for my partner’s debt?

Common questions

Will my partner have to pay if I put a joint debt in my IVA?

They may. The creditor can ask them to pay the full balance, because they’re still liable for it.

Can a joint debt be split in an IVA?

Not in the sense of halving it. The full joint debt is usually included in your IVA, but the other person remains liable for all of it.

Does a joint debt affect my partner's credit file?

The joint account is on both credit files. Your IVA itself appears on your file, and the account’s status may affect theirs. A financial association may also be recorded between you.

How IVA Advice Online can help

Every situation is different, and an IVA isn’t right for everyone. We can look at your income, spending and debts with you and set out the debt solutions you could qualify for, including options other than an IVA. To talk it through, get in touch.