Generally, when you settle a debt can be considered taxable income. We cannot provide direct tax advice. However, there are exceptions, one is the overall student loan forgiveness exemption from the American Rescue Plan of 2021. This is for settlements that are executed prior to Jan 2026.
The IRS even strongly encouraged lenders not to file the 1099-C or send them to borrowers. As a result, we’ve seen very few 1099-C’s since 2021 – most of our clients just don’t get them.
The other major exemption is called the Insolvency Exemption – this is when someone’s total assets are less than their total debts. We provide resources for both in our final resource email once the settlement is completed, which you can discuss with your CPA.
We recommend consulting a tax professional to determine whether this applies to your situation.