- 13 - (1933). A bona fide debt is one that arises from a debtor- creditor relationship and is based upon a legally valid and enforceable obligation to pay a fixed or determinable sum of money. See sec. 1.166-1(c), Income Tax Regs. We have held that our consideration of whether a taxpayer created a debt with a true expectation of repayment and with the intent to enforce the repayment of that debt requires an examination of the facts and circumstances. The following factors have been used to aid in deciding whether an advance is “debt” within the meaning of section 166: (1) The existence of a promissory note or written evidence of indebtedness; (2) whether and in what amount interest is charged; (3) whether there is a fixed repayment schedule; (4) whether there is security or collateral for the debt; (5) whether the lender made a demand for repayment; (6) whether the loan is reflected as a loan in the parties’ books and records; (7) whether and in what amounts any repayments have occurred; and (8) the solvency of the borrower at the time the parties made the loan. See, e.g., Mayhew v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1994-310. Considering these factors in light of the record, we conclude that petitioners have not established the existence of a bona fide debt to petitioner. Petitioners did not offer evidence of a promissory note or similar type of instrument of indebtedness that would identify the advances as loans. Although petitioners reported $125 of interest income on their Form 1040Page: Previous 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011