How do you treat debt forgiveness in accounting?

Asked by: Shyanne Wehner Sr.  |  Last update: January 16, 2026
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When a private loan is forgiven, the forgiven amount is often treated as a reduction in liability on the balance sheet. This decreases the total liabilities and can improve the entity's financial ratios, such as the debt-to-equity ratio.

What is the accounting entry for debt forgiveness?

Accounting Entries

Immediately after receipt of loan proceeds an amount should be recorded as “principal forgiveness loan” (non- operating revenue account) for the amount of principal that was forgiven. The unit also should set up a loan payable account for the part of the proceeds that will be repaid.

Is debt forgiveness an expense?

In general, if your debt is canceled, forgiven, or discharged for less than the amount owed, the amount of the canceled debt is taxable. If taxable, you must report the canceled debt on your tax return for the year in which the cancellation occurred.

How do you account for a forgiven loan?

The extinguished or forgiven amount of the loan shall be recorded separately in the Awardee's records as an unamortized gain which will be amortized over the life of the related loan.

How is debt forgiveness accounted for in the balance of payments?

Debt forgiveness is recorded as a capital transfer (see paragraph 13.23) from the creditor econ- omy to the debtor economy, offset by a reduction in the liability of the debtor (reduction in the asset of the creditor) under the appropriate debt instrument in the financial account, with any interest accruing in current ...

Navigating Debt Forgiveness: A Comprehensive Guide to Reporting and Excluding Income (IRS Form

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How do I record loan forgiveness?

Record the journal entry for the forgiveness of the debt.

If the entire debt is forgiven, the lender should debit Bad Debt Expense for $10,120, credit Notes Receivable for $10,000, and credit Interest Receivable for $120.

Where does forgiven debt go?

Generally, if you borrow money from a commercial lender and the lender later cancels or forgives the debt, you may have to include the cancelled amount in income for tax purposes. The lender is usually required to report the amount of the canceled debt to you and the IRS on a Form 1099-C, Cancellation of Debt.

How do you treat debt forgiven in accounting?

Document, in writing, to state the debt or loan has been forgiven. Account for the forgiven debt or loan by writing off the debt out of debtors to an expense in the Profit and Loss Statement. Write off a commercial loan out of liabilities and recognise it as an extraordinary item in the Profit and Loss Statement.

How to record debt forgiveness in QuickBooks?

How to record loan forgiveness in QuickBooks Online
  1. Go to [https://quickbooks.intuit.com/](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/)
  2. Navigate "+New"
  3. Click "Journal entry"
  4. Select the Account you will use to recognize the Loan forgiveness.
  5. Debit the Loan account.
  6. Click "Save and close"

Does loan forgiveness count as income?

The IRS considers canceled debt, including most forms of student loan debt forgiveness or student loan discharge, to be taxable income.

What is it called when a debt is forgiven?

The terms forgiveness, cancellation, and discharge mean the same thing, but they're used in different ways. Loan forgiveness, cancellation, and discharge are the removal of a borrower's obligation to repay all or a portion of a loan.

What is the debt forgiveness rule?

In simple terms, the debt forgiveness rules apply when a “commercial debt obligation” has been settled for an amount that is less than the full amount owing (i.e., the “forgiven amount”). A commercial debt obligation is generally a debt obligation on which interest, if charged, is deductible in computing income.

What type of income is debt forgiveness?

According to the IRS, nearly any debt you owe that is canceled, forgiven or discharged becomes taxable income to you. You should receive a Form 1099-C, "Cancellation of Debt," from the lender that forgave the debt.

What is the journal entry for debt expense?

Record the journal entry by debiting bad debt expense and crediting allowance for doubtful accounts. When you decide to write off an account, debit allowance for doubtful accounts and credit the corresponding receivables account.

Is debt forgiveness a capital gain?

Whilst a creditor may be entitled to a tax deduction or a capital loss when a debt is forgiven, the debtor will not generally include the gain in its assessable income as the debtor is merely being relieved of a liability.

What is debt extinguishment in accounting?

Meaning of debt extinguishment in English

the fact of removing a debt from a company's financial records because it has been paid back or no longer exists: a debt extinguishment profit/loss The conversion of the debentures to Series A Stock resulted in a debt extinguishment loss of $1,048,000.

What is the journal entry for loan forgiveness?

Journal entry for a government support loan forgiven

The Government Loan Payable liability account is debited for the amount forgiven (to reduce the balance of the liability), and Other Income – Loan Forgiveness revenue account is credited for the amount forgiven (to recognize the amount forgiven as income).

How do you record bad debt expense in QB?

Set up QuickBooks to record bad debt
  1. In QuickBooks, go to Lists > Chart of Accounts.
  2. In the Chart of Accounts window, open Account > New. ...
  3. From the Account Type dropdown, select Expense.
  4. In the Add New Account window, fill in the required information. ...
  5. Click Save & Close. ...
  6. In ServiceTitan, go to Settings.

How to classify PPP loan forgiveness in QuickBooks?

How to record PPP loan forgiveness in QuickBooks Online
  1. Go to [https://quickbooks.intuit.com/](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/)
  2. Navigate"+New"
  3. Click "Journal entry"
  4. Record the date the loan was forgiven.
  5. Record the Journal Number.
  6. Select the Income account.
  7. Record the journal details.
  8. Click "Save and close"

What is the accounting entry to write-off debt?

To accurately write off bad debt for an invoice, you must do the following: Create a journal entry to credit the amount of the unpaid invoice to your accounts receivable account. The balancing debit is to your bad debt expense account, or your allowance for bad debts account if you are using that method.

What is the difference between debt extinguishment and repayment?

Extinguishment of debt refers to the termination or cancellation of a debt obligation. This means that the borrower is no longer obligated to repay the debt, and the lender no longer has a claim on the borrower's assets or future earnings.

How do you record cancellation of debt?

While you don't have to provide the Form 1099 C with your return, you should use it to prepare and file your federal tax return, as the canceled debt may be included in your gross income unless an exception applies. Use Copy B of the 1099-C to report canceled debts on Schedule 1 of Form 1040 as other income.

Why is cancellation of debt considered income?

If your creditor cancels the rest of your debt, you won't have to pay back the $500 you owe. So when you think about it, you're essentially $500 richer. That's why canceled debt is often considered an income gain. Paying more in taxes because you can't pay off your debt may seem unfair.

Is a forgivable loan taxable?

Once these requirements are satisfied, the principal of the loan is forgiven and, therefore, not required to be paid back to the employer. The principal of the loan is considered income to the employee and is taxable.

What is the tax form for forgiveness of debt?

You will receive a 1099-C Cancelation of Debt form if a lender forgives more than $600 of taxable debt. You must include the amount of canceled debt on your federal tax return as a part of your taxable income.