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

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

Published: June 17, 2026

Duration: 3:19

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 d...