Where a taxpayer accounts for income on a non-cash basis and has previously included the amount in assessable income, a deduction for a bad debt can be claimed in 2009/10 so long as the debt is declared bad by 30 June 2010.
The business will need to show that it has made a genuine attempt to recover the debt by year- end to prove that the debt is bad. It’s preferable that this decision is made in writing (e.g. a board minute).
Businesses can also claim back the GST paid on debts that have been written off as bad, or where not written off as bad, the debt has been outstanding for 12 months or more.
