Bad Debt

The term bad debt refers to an amount of money that a creditor must write off as a result of a default on the part of the debtor. If a creditor has a bad debt on the books, it becomes uncollectible and is recorded as a charge-off. Bad debt is a contingency that must be accounted for by all businesses that extend credit to customers, as there is always a risk that payment won’t be collected. These entities can estimate how much of their receivables may become uncollectible by using either the accounts receivable (AR) aging method or the percentage of sales method.

Bad debt refers to loans or outstanding balances owed that are no longer deemed recoverable and must be written off. Incurring bad debt is part of the cost of doing business with customers, as there is always some default risk that is associated with extending credit. To comply with the matching principle, bad debt expense must be estimated using the allowance method in the same period in which the sale occurs. There are two main ways to estimate an allowance for bad debts: the percentage sales method and the accounts receivable aging method.

Bad debts can be written off on both business and individual tax returns. Bad debt is any credit advanced by any lender to a debtor that shows no promise of ever being collected, either partially or in full. Any lender can have bad debt on their books, whether that’s a bank or other financial institution, a supplier, or a vendor.

Bad debts end up as such because the debtor can’t or refuses to pay because of bankruptcy, financial difficulty, or negligence. These entities may exhaust every possible avenue to collect on bad debts before deeming them uncollectible, including collection activity and legal action.

Businesses must account for bad debt expenses using one of two methods. The first is the direct write-off method, which involves writing off accounts when they are identified as uncollectible. While this method records the precise figure for accounts determined to be uncollectible, it fails to adhere to the matching principle used in accrual accounting and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

The second is the matching principle, which requires that expenses be matched to related revenues in the same accounting period they are generated. Bad debt expense must be estimated using the allowance method in the same period and appears on the income statement under the sales and general administrative expense section. Since a company can’t predict which accounts will end up in default, it establishes an amount based on an anticipated figure.

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