New Forex Trading Strategy

Friday, September 25, 2009

Look Out for the Debt Settlement Tax - What to Do About It

By Sean Payne

If you're still in debt, you're probably thinking about talking to your creditors about settling your debts for less than you owe. Beware, though. What you probably don't know about debt settlement is that it can have a great impact on your taxes.

When you pay off the debt for less than you owe, you're effectively "earning" money. For example, if you take out a loan for $10,000, and then were unable to pay it back, but settled for $6000, you've effectively pocketed $4000. This kind of thing gets the IRS's attention in a hurry.

At some point in the past, there probably was a loophole in the U.S. tax laws that allowed for this kind of thing to happen. Sadly, the IRS quickly gets smart about these things. Like many other loopholes in the tax law, this one has been closed.

As in our example above, if you settle credit card debt or any other type of debt for less than you owe, you will probably be held liable for whatever "profit" you realize after settling your debt. Remember this when it's time to file your taxes after settling your debts.

Although this may sound like a bad thing to you, you're still ahead of the game after taxes. In our example, the $4,000 "gain" you realized may be taxed at 30% (which depends on your tax bracket), meaning that you owe a $1,200 tax. Even after the tax, though, you've still only had to pay $7,200 to settle a $10,000 debt. You've gotten a 28% discount, which is a bargain in my estimation.

The debt settlement tax comes as a surprise to many people, who don't realize that they owe taxes on their so-called profit or gain until the IRS comes to audit them. Don't let it take you by surprise.

If you'd like more details on how this tax applies to your specific situation, please consult with a CPA or other tax professional. - 23305

About the Author:

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]



<< Home