Income From Discharge of Indebtedness
Although a loan does not start out as income to the borrower, it becomes income to the borrower if the borrower is discharged of indebtedness. Thus, if a debt is discharged, then the borrower essentially has received income equal to the amount of the indebtedness. The Internal Revenue Code lists “Income from Discharge of Indebtedness” in Section 61(a)(12) as a source of gross income.
Example: X owes Y $50,000. If Y discharges the indebtedness, then X no longer owes Y $50,000. For purposes of calculating income, this should be treated the same way as if Y gave X $50,000.
For a more detailed description of the “discharge of indebtedness”, look at Section 108 (Cancellation of Debt (COD) Income) of the Internal Revenue Code.
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Famous quotes containing the words income, discharge and/or indebtedness:
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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I went about to kill him fair enough.”
“You took an awkward way. Did he discharge you?”
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—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
“Great indebtedness does not lead to thankfulness, but rather to vengefulness; and when a small favor is not forgotten it turns into a gnawing worm.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)