Debt Forgiveness Can Bite Come Tax Time

By Cornelius Nunev


Debt forgiveness is an excellent thing. A lender that chooses to forgive some portion of one's loans is good, but it includes a caveat. The problem is that the pardoned debt is treated and taxed as income by the Internal Revenue Service, which will hurt come tax season.

Not so good news from the government

Millions of people breathe sighs of relief yearly when granted debt forgiveness. Also called debt relief, debt cancellation, it's where a loans lender of some sort, like a charge card business, mortgage lender or whomever, agrees to forgive a debt if the borrower agrees to pay off a portion, generally on a condensed payment schedule.

When it comes to debt forgiveness, the Wall Street Journal reports that many people will be annoyed to hear the government considers that income. It is technically a bonus towards petty cash and income, which means it is taxable.

The lenders will then give form 1099 C to the borrower, so they can report it on their taxes during the year.

Forgiven mortgages incorporated

Occasionally, a mortgage that is pardoned is exempt from taxes, but much of the time, it is not. In fact, debt forgiveness could be really annoying when it comes to forgiveness of a mortgage. A 1099 C has to be used any time the lender agrees to lower principle or agrees to a short sale.

In 2007, the government passed a law exempting certain foreclosed-on homeowners from a part of this debt. The law, the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act, also extends, according to CBS, to people who participated or are participating in the Home Affordable Refinancing Program or HAMP, who received a principle deduction or other refinancing that would otherwise be topic to the tax.

It does not consist of any second-home mortgages, though it does include all primary residences, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Looking at expiration anticipations

Homeowners who are dealing with debt forgiveness for mortgages may have an easier time if claiming the amount over three years rather than all at once, which is one of the choices. When you have not claimed it yet, you need to do so now, so you can get the tax exemption. It will only be accessible until 2014 now that the fiscal cliff negotiations have been finalized, according to CBS. It was going to expire last year, but now it is continued.

More people are receiving debt forgiveness or debt cancellation from lenders than ever. According to Creditcards.com, just over 1 million 1099 C forms were filed with the Internal Revenue Service in 2003, increasing to 2 million by 2006 and nearly 4 million in 2010. It's projected that in 2013, the IRS will get close to 6.5 million debt cancellation tax forms.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment