Under the Internal Revenue Code, the general rule is that the discharge of a debt is a form of gross income. The forgiveness of a debt does sound nice, but it does come with some consequences. For example, if a creditor forgives a debt of $20,000, you would have an additional $20,000 for taxable income. At a conservative tax rate of 15% you would owe an additional $3,000 in federal income taxes for that year.
Forgiven Debt and Tax Liabilities in Minnesota
Under the Internal Revenue Code, the general rule is that the discharge of a debt is a form of...