What is the Difference between a Joint Debtor and a Co-Debtor?

Joint Debtor and Co-Debtor sound like interchangeable labels but they are not.

A Joint Debtor describes one of two married bankruptcy filing spouses on a bankruptcy petition. The first married filer is listed as the debtor and the married filer is listed as the Joint Debtor. There is no rule governing the order in which a husband or wife is listed in a bankruptcy petition.

A Co-Debtor is a person or entity that shares liability on a particular debt with either the Debtor or Joint Debtor. If the Debtor or Joint Debtor successfully applied for any credit cards, car loans or a mortgage with a co-signer prior to filing bankruptcy, the the co-signer must be shown as a Co-Debtor on the Bankruptcy Schedules and given notice of the bankruptcy filing.