Bad Debt

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Bad debt

In business, accounting, and finance, bad debt is the portion of receivables, invoices, or bills that can no longer be collected from a deadbeat, typically from accounts receivable, credit cards, invoices, or loans. Bad debt in accounting is considered an annoying expense.

There are two methods to account for bad debt:

1. Direct write off method (Non - GAAP)

A bad debt receivable which is not considered collectible is charged directly to the income statement.

1. Allowance method (GAAP)

An financial estimate is made at the end of each fiscal year of the amount of bad debt. This amount is then accumulated in a provision which is then used to reduce specific receivable accounts as and when necessary.

Accounting Practices In The US With the matching principle of accounting, revenues and expenses should be recorded in the period in which they happened. When a sale is made on credit account, revenue is recorded along with the account receivable. Because there is an possible risk that clients might default on payment, accounts receivable have to be recorded at full net realizable value. The portion of the account receivable that is estimated to be not collectible is set aside in a contra-asset account called allowance for doubtful accounts. At the end of each accounting cycle, adjusting entries are made to charge as expense the uncollectible receivable. The actual amount of invoice or uncollectible receivable is written off as an expense from allowance for doubtful accounts to the account called bad debt expense.

Debt Taxability

Some types of bad debts, whether business or nonbusiness related, are considered deductible. Section 166 of the Internal Revenue Code provides the qualifications which must be met in order to meet deductibility status.

Criteria for deduction:

• Must be a real bad debt; and
• Not have value within the taxable year

Debt is defined as a debt which arises from a debtor-creditor relationship based upon a valid and enforceable obligation to pay a determinable sum of money. The debt in question must also be considered worthless. This distinction is further broken down into the level of collectibles. You must determine whether the qualifying debt is completely or partially worthless. A partially worthless status means a portion of the debt may be recovered in future periods. Numerous factors are taken into consideration including the debtor’s insolvency status, health conditions, credit standing, etc.

Tax code section 166 does limit the amount of deduction allowed. There must be an amount of tax capital, or basis, in question to be recovered. In other words, is there an adjusted basis for determining a gain or loss for the debt in question.

And an additional factor in applying the criteria is the classification of the debt (nonbusiness or business). A business bad debt is defined as a debt created or acquired in connection with a trade or business of the taxpayer. Whereas, a nonbusiness debt is defined as a debt that is not created or acquired in connection with a trade or business of the taxpayer. The classification is quite significant it terms of the deductibility. A nonbusiness bad debt must be completely worthless in order to be deducted. However, a business bad debt is deductible whether it is partially or completely worthless.

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