Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 51, Bad Debt Deduction — Specific Charge-off

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Why business bad debts are valuable ordinary deductions, while nonbusiness bad debts are treated as short-term capital losses. - The critical difference in timing: business debts can be deducted when partially worthless, but nonbusiness debts must be wholly worthless. - That the specific charge-off method is the only permissible method for deducting bad debts for most taxpayers. - How the exam uses the repealed "reserve method" as a common incorrect answer choice to trap test-takers. - The importance of documentation to prove a valid debt existed and became uncollectible, distinguishing it from a non-deductible gift. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep