What if any are the tax inplications of debt discharged in a chapter 7 bankruptcy?

Chapter 7: This chapter of bankruptcy law provides for a full liquidation of an entity's non-exempt property to satisfy creditors, and discharges all dischargeable debts This is a legal process under Federal statutes that provides for rehabilitation of a debtor through the discharge of certain debts or through a debt repayment plan over a certain period of time. Creditors cannot contact the debtor during the bankruptcy. They must wait until it is fully discharged. There are three chapters of bankruptcy == == == == I can't give a definitive answer, but I can relate what I have seen. I suppose to get a definitive answer one would need to look at the Tax Code, and I stay as far away from that as possible. However, I have never had a client come back and say they had any negative tax implications as a result of discharged debt in bankruptcy. I know the IRS can normally pursue forgiven debt as income, but for some reason (either because the Tax Code doesn't permit them to or because they simply opt not to) the IRS has never pursued any of my clients for forgiven (discharged) debt in bankruptcy to my knowledge. I have had a couple of situations where mortgage companies sent tax statements to clients who surrendered real estate in bankruptcy, but so far we have managed to get those resolved without any negative tax consequences. Please note that nothing in this posting or in any other posting constitutes legal advice; this is simply my understanding of the facts, which I do not warrant, and I am not suggesting any course of action or inaction to any person. While cancelled debt is typically includible under the Internal Revenue Code as gross income, there are certain exceptions: 1. Debt that is cancelled through a bankruptcy is NOT taxable as income, 2. Debt cancelled when you are insolvent is NOT taxable as income to the extent of your insolvency. Therefore, there are no tax implications and it does not have to be reported on the tax return. The creditors will send you a 1099-C for cancellation of debt, but they should also check the "bankruptcy" box. Make sure they do this. :)