My partner, to whom I am not married and who is not claimed as a dependent on my tax filings, just got sent to collections for some student loans that are in default. What are my legal responsibilities? For further context, we are trying to deal with this in good faith. We're looking into consolidation to get out of default and onto some kind of sustainable payment plan.
The one wrinkle I want to understand here is that she has no income of her own, but I've been supporting her via shared rent and living expenses. If our primary plans fall through and the collections company takes her to court, is there any chance that my wages could be garnished or something like that to pay off her debt? Like the court could decide that we're effectively living as a married couple even though we haven't done the paperwork? (For the record, we don't live in one of the states that officially recognize common law marriages.)
The one wrinkle I want to understand here is that she has no income of her own, but I've been supporting her via shared rent and living expenses. If our primary plans fall through and the collections company takes her to court, is there any chance that my wages could be garnished or something like that to pay off her debt? Like the court could decide that we're effectively living as a married couple even though we haven't done the paperwork? (For the record, we don't live in one of the states that officially recognize common law marriages.)