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IRS Insolvency is Mortgage Tax Debt Forgiveness | Kris and Kimberly Darney

IRS Insolvency is Mortgage Tax Debt Forgiveness

IRS Offers Insolvency Clause as Tax Saving Alternative

To The Expired Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act

 

December 31, 2016 marks the expiration of the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act which means homeowners are no longer protected from being taxed on their forgiven mortgage debt after going through a short sale.  A short sale can now only qualify for the Act’s tax exemption if the transaction was closed before the December 31, 2016 expiration date.  Mortgage debt that is forgiven by a lender is normally considered taxable income without the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act, however the IRS is offering a way for people to avoid being taxed on forgiven mortgage debts.

IRS “Insolvency Clause”

Homeowners that are facing a short sale and are worried about having to pay taxes on their forgiven debts may not be aware that they could qualify for tax relief through the IRS “insolvency clause.”  With this clause, a seller is exempt from paying taxes on a “forgiven debt” to the extent that they are insolvent.  What this means is that if the amount of a seller’s debts and liabilities is greater than their assets by more than the portion of the debt forgiven, they are exempt from paying taxes on the forgiven debt.

Example of the “Insolvency Clause”

  • “A homeowner has a house worth $200,000 but a mortgage debt of $350,000.  The owner short sells the home for $200,000 and the bank forgives the remaining debt of $150,000.  The IRS initially treats this forgiven debt as taxable income.”

Now the principles of the insolvency clause can be applied. First, add up all debts and liabilities as well as your assets. The IRS expects you to list the mortgage debt as a liability and the fair market value of the house as an asset. If your total assets amount to $500,000 and your liabilities are $650,000, you have $150,000 of insolvency.

In this scenario, the insolvency amount of $150,000 matches the forgiven mortgage debt of $150,000, which makes the homeowner exempt from paying taxes on the forgiven debt. Every dollar of the forgiven debt is protected up to the insolvency amount. So if the insolvency in this scenario were $100,000, the homeowner would still pay income tax on the remaining $50,000 of the forgiven debt.

Always seek tax and legal advice from state licensed CPA or attorney.

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