Monday, December 21st, 2009

Can my bad credit prevent me from enlisting in the Air Force?

Bad Credit Credit
rachelunwritten asked:


I am 19 years old and unfortunately have really bad credit (credit cards, bank loans, student loans, doctor bills). I am not up to date on everything that’s for sure. Could this prevent me. I plan on taking care of this with direct deposit once I enlist but will there be any problems enlisting with bad credit? Thank you so much for your advice!

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8 Responses to “Can my bad credit prevent me from enlisting in the Air Force?”

Veto Your Local Candidate! Says:
December 21st, 2009 at 5:47 am

Unless you want to take out a loan from the Air Force, I don’t suppose it matters.

The Original Cosnipa Says:
December 23rd, 2009 at 3:05 am

Yep. If you can’t take of your financial situation, they don’t want to take on your burden if it comes around that you can’t keep up with your bills.

INTERNET HATE MACHINE 2.0 Says:
December 24th, 2009 at 2:46 am

Yes it can but their are waivers but at this point in the time the Air Force isn’t struggling for recruits and force shaping active duty members out so you might find it difficult to find a recruiter who is willing to put in anytime on you when he has 10 perfect candidates with no flaws to send in with probably a low monthly quota to meet. The last Navy recruiter I talked to back in July 2008 said he only had to get 1 in a month and they recruit more then the Air Force

When I enlisted in back in 2001 there was a guy I went through basic with who had just filed for bankruptcy prior to entering and he had to get a waiver

I also remember if you are single and before a certain age I do believe they don’t do a credit check but you would have to ask a recruiter as bad credit can deny a security clearance and without a security clearance your selection of AFSC’s will be HIGHLY limited

Goethe Says:
December 27th, 2009 at 10:03 am

For the Air Force, yes. They are overmanned right now, so they are being super picky about who they let in. But I would ask anyways before taking that as a final answer. You never know, they might say yes to you.

The Army will probably take you since they have a shortage.

Yggdrasil Says:
December 30th, 2009 at 2:25 am

It sure can…makes you a bad security risk.

EDIT: Yak Rider is correct, as usual.

Yak Rider Says:
January 1st, 2010 at 11:50 am

Yes, I’ll be honest, you’d have a much better chance of getting into the Air Force if you filed bankruptcy and discharged this debt now. If you’ve got a mountain of debt and judgments they won’t touch you.

kanttutchthis Says:
January 4th, 2010 at 9:22 am

I would imagine it would effect you negatively. I am not 100% sure with the Air force but I know for a fact that in the Army they won’t take you if you have bad credit.If it is a small amount they would probably waive you.If you have bad credit they consider you high risk because they figure you could be sold easily.

TLS Says:
January 7th, 2010 at 8:46 pm

The short answer is, “Yes.” But I think you can work through this.

First, do not declare bankruptcy. That seriously impairs your ability to get into any branch of the military. It’s seen as evidence that you don’t take care of your responsibilities. Bankruptcy is harder to declare than it used to be, and having a bankruptcy at 19 is a pretty solid indication you could be a risk.

Second, do call someone like Consumer Credit Counseling Service. (You can Google them). They will call your creditors, work out repayments (lower interest, settlements on totals, etc.), and help you repair your credit score. And their services are free to you. You will show initiative, willingness to get help and settle your debts, and prove you’re not a huge security risk.

There isn’t an easy way to fix this, but there is a way. The Air Force is reducing some career fields right now, and you want to show them you’re a good candidate.

Best of luck.

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