Finding yourself in the position of not being able to pay your bills is very scary. What will happen if you don’t pay? Will you lose your home? Will you go to jail? Let’s take a look at some possible scenarios

If I can’t pay my credit cards, will I have to go to jail?

You will not have to go to jail. It may seem as though the creditors are trying their hardest to make it seem like you’re there though. After you haven’t paid for 90 days or so, the telephone will be ringing, seemingly non-stop. And depending on the creditor, some are more aggressive than others; you probably will get served for a lawsuit at some point. You won’t go to jail, but you may have your wages garnished.

Will I lose my home?

Again, probably not. Unless you don’t keep up with your mortgage payments. A creditor cannot take your house from you.

What can I do about my credit card debt if I can’t pay?

If you have some funds available, you may be able to work out a settlement deal with your creditor. Keep in mind a creditor won’t even consider a settlement deal unless you are at least 90 days behind on your payments. Many times you can negotiate to only pay 50% or less on your total balance. This will have to be made in one lump payment though. You will have to have the funds available. If you have absolutely no money to settle, you will probably have to file for bankruptcy. But here again, it may not be as bad as you think. You probably will be able to keep your house, and won’t have your wages garnished. You will wreck your credit, but it can be rebuilt.

Not being able to pay your bills is a very stressful position to find yourself in. But there are ways out, and you can start to rebuild from there.