What Are Crawford Credits?

If you’re separated and still paying the mortgage on a jointly owned home, Maryland law may entitle you to a credit from your spouse at the time of divorce. Known as “Crawford credits”, named after the 1982 Maryland case Crawford v. Crawford, these credits recognize that one spouse shouldn’t bear the full financial burden of a shared property while the other contributes nothing. They can cover mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, and other carrying costs paid after separation.

Crawford credits are not automatic, however, and there are important exceptions. If the paying spouse used marital funds to cover the home expenses, no credit will be awarded because both spouses already share an interest in those funds, making a separate credit inequitable. Courts may also deny credits where one spouse was involuntarily forced out of the home, where the parties had a prior agreement governing expenses, or where awarding credits would produce an unfair result given the broader financial circumstances of the divorce.

If you believe you’re owed Crawford credits, you must actively raise the issue and the source of funds you used to pay those expenses matters more than most people realize. Contact our office today at 301-356-4423 to discuss how property payments during your separation may affect your divorce case.