Why sign in to the Community?

  • Submit a question
  • Check your notifications
Sign in to the Community or Sign in to TurboTax and start working on your taxes
Returning Member
posted May 31, 2019 5:54:22 PM

Where do I write off bad debt on rental property? do I attach it to the property? Do I have to have a judgment or just a summary of the rent owed?

0 4 4662
4 Replies
Alumni
May 31, 2019 5:54:30 PM

You don't deduct (write off) something you never received, you just have less income to report.

Returning Member
May 31, 2019 5:54:33 PM

What is a bad debt if not something you haven't received?

Alumni
May 31, 2019 5:54:34 PM

Lets say if you had received rent all year, you would have received 15,000.  But your renters are flakes and didn't pay you for 3 months.  So you wouldn't write anything off, you just report rental income of 11,250 rather than 15,000.

You "could" report 15,000 as income, then deduct the 3750 you never received, but the end result is the same.

Level 15
May 31, 2019 5:54:34 PM

 Generally, to deduct a bad debt, you must have previously included the amount in your income, or loaned out your cash.

https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc453.html