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#debt-management

Debt Management

Debt management strategies and payoff planning

What Happens When You Cannot Pay Your SBA Loan: Default, Workout, Offer in Compromise, and Treasury Collection

SBA loans typically enter default after three to four missed payments; past 60 days past due with long-term problems, servicing rules push lenders toward liquidation over deferment. The sequence runs lender collateral seizure and personal-guarantee enforcement, SBA guarantee purchase with a 60-day demand letter, a lump-sum offer in compromise on Forms 1150 and 770 after collateral is liquidated, and finally Treasury Offset Program collection via tax refund offset and administrative wage garnishment.

Are Forgiven Student Loans Taxable in 2026? The IDR Tax Bomb, Who Stays Tax-Free, and the Form 982 Escape Hatch

The ARPA exclusion for student loan discharges expired on December 31, 2025, so income-driven repayment forgiveness after 20 or 25 years, closed-school and borrower-defense discharges are federal taxable income again from 2026, while PSLF, teacher-service and death or disability discharges remain tax-free. A $49,000 IDR discharge can add roughly $5,800 to $10,000 in federal tax; the Form 982 insolvency exclusion, early AGI planning and your own payment ledger are the tools that shrink the bill.

Tax Refund Seized? How the Treasury Offset Program Works and How Injured Spouses Get Their Share Back

The Treasury Offset Program lets the Bureau of the Fiscal Service withhold a federal tax refund to pay past-due child support, defaulted federal student and SBA loans, state income tax, and unemployment debts, in that priority order. Creditor agencies must mail a Notice of Intent to Offset at least 60 days before referral, giving you time to pay, sign a repayment agreement, or dispute the debt. When the debt belongs only to your spouse, Form 8379 Injured Spouse Allocation recovers your share of a joint refund in roughly 8 to 14 weeks.

Indiana's 2026 Tax Amnesty Window Closes September 9: How to Clear Old Back Taxes Without Penalties or Interest

Indiana's Tax Amnesty 2026 runs July 15 through September 9, 2026 and waives all penalties, interest, and collection fees on DOR-administered taxes for periods ending before January 1, 2024, provided you pay in full or open a payment plan that is paid off by June 7, 2027. This guide covers the eligibility checklist (including the 2005/2015 prior-participant bar), the four-step INTIME process, five mistakes that void the waiver, and how to record the forgiven amounts in your books.

Interest Coverage Ratio: What Your Loan Covenant Measures and How to Cure a Breach Before It Triggers Default

The interest coverage ratio (EBIT ÷ interest expense) is the loan covenant small businesses trip most often, with minimums typically set between 2.5x and 4.5x and tested quarterly on trailing twelve months. This guide explains how lenders define EBITDA and interest expense, what a breach triggers (default rate, frozen draws, cross-defaults), and the cure sequence in cost order — early covenant reset, waiver, amendment, equity cure, forbearance — plus the bookkeeping that keeps your ratio visible before the bank sees it.