No Up Front Fees - Don't Pay Till You See Results!
Tax Implications ofDebt Settlement
(Franklin Debt Relief cannot offer tax or legal advice because we
are not professionally licensed in these areas. The author of this
piece is not a CPA, lawyer, or tax consultant. This is meant for
educational purposes only and for tax advice regarding your
situation, please contact a licensed professional.)
One of the common disadvantages of using debt settlement for debt
relief is that there can be potential tax liabilities associated
with your savings. The IRS mandates that taxpayers report cancelled
debts with balances of $600 or more on Form 1099 as income. While
this may potentially cause the overall cost of your debt settlement
program to increase, there are several important points that any
consumer seeking debt relief should keep in mind.
Many taxpayers are technically insolvent at the time of settlement,
which means they aren’t required to pay taxes on the forgiven
balance anyway. One need not file bankruptcy to be considered
“insolvent.” Insolvency, as defined by the IRS, is a financial state
where one’s liabilities (debt owed) exceed their assets (equity in
property). Many consumers who are considering debt settlement are so
overextended that being insolvent, or having a negative net worth,
is possible. By filling out an IRS Form 982 with their tax returns,
consumers may be relieved of their tax obligations on the forgiven
balance by the amount which they are insolvent. For more
information, one should always talk to a tax professional about
their individual situation, however.
.For more information about debt settlement, please feel free to
call (877) 274-1260 or fill out a form and we’ll contact you as soon as
possible.