What To Do With A 1099-C From Forgiven or Settled Debt

Posts Tagged ‘Taxes’

What To Do With A 1099-C From Forgiven or Settled Debt

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Anytime a bank, credit card issuer or financial company writes off $600 or more worth of your debt, they have to send you a 1099-C, Cancellation of Debt. They also send that same form to the IRS, so Uncle Sam knows which debts you got away with not paying.

And here’s the catch: the IRS considers most forms of forgiven consumer debt to be taxable income to you.

“Most people don’t pay attention to the tax consequences when they are  settling their debt,” says Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com and author  of The Credit Card Guidebook. “They are just trying to figure out how to survive. The additional tax bill is usually an unwelcome surprise.”

For example: assume you owed a $5,000 credit card bill, and you settled the debt by paying just $2,000 to your creditor. The $3,000 that was “forgiven” is taxable income.

There are exceptions to the rule, however, and in some cases you won’t have to pay taxes on forgiven debt.

Two big exceptions, according to the IRS, are if you were financially insolvent or you filed for bankruptcy protection. In such cases, that written off credit card debt is not taxable.

Another exception: if you were among the scores of homeowners who got a 1099-C for mortgage debt that was forgiven – after a foreclosure, short sale or loan modification of your primary residence – then that debt is also not taxable, thanks to the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007.

But the prospect of getting a big tax bill after you’ve settled a credit card obligation is just one of the dangers of debt settlement. It’s also one reason that I advise consumers to stay away from using debt settlement for debt relief.

But if you don’t know any better, I know it’s hard to resist those commercials on TV or the radio and those online ad promising to help you get rid of most of your credit card bills with debt settlement.

At least you know better now.

And you can get even better educated on this topic if you check out IRS Publication 4681, Canceled Debts, Foreclosures, Repossessions, and Abandonments (for Individuals).

You’re also not alone in dealing with the issue.

The IRS expects to receive 2.8 million 1099-C forms in 2011 and another 3.1 million in 2012 – proof that debt-ridden Americans grappling with foreclosure and credit card bills are increasingly trying to get from underneath their financial burdens.

Five Legitimate Reasons Celebrities Have Tax Troubles

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Author: The Money Coach

In light of actor and rapper Ja Rule pleading guilty to tax evasion, and becoming the latest in a string of celebrities with tax troubles, many people are no doubt asking: “Why can’t celebrities pay their taxes like the rest of us?”

But before we all jump on the kick-a-celebrity-while-he’s-down bandwagon, a few important points are worth noting.

Despite all the bling and the perceived glamor that comes with being an A-lister (or even a D-lister), the truth is that it’s tough being a celebrity and keeping your finances straight. Here are five reasons why the rich and famous get into trouble with Uncle Sam, including some reasons that don’t make them criminals or financial fools:

1. Financial Advisers Gone Wild

First, there’s the issue of financial oversight. If you trust the wrong people to handle your money or to give you financial advice, you can pretty much kiss your cash and assets goodbye. The “wrong people” in the financial world can be anyone from an incompetent accountant to a shady investment broker. From actors Nicolas Cage to Wesley Snipes, many Hollywood types have pointed a finger at the financial experts in their corner that were supposed to be watching over their financial affairs.

And lest we simply blame celebrities for their picks and say they should have known better, or picked better experts, consider this question: What’s the difference between celebrities who get burned by financial advisers and the sophisticated investors who routinely get duped by scheming con artists like Bernie Madoff? Not much difference, in my opinion, since both sets of clients lost money due to someone else’s wrongdoing. Read the rest of Lynnette’s article on WalletPop.

What To Do With That 1099-C From Forgiven or Settled Credit Card Debt

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Author: The Money Coach

If you settled a credit card debt last year, by paying less than originally owed, the debt settlement company probably didn’t tell you this, but the IRS will: You likely owe taxes on the amount of debt that was forgiven.