As part of the American Bankruptcy Institute Northeast Bankruptcy Conference and Consumer Forum, Bodie Colwell coauthored an article on whether a late-filed tax return is a “return” under section 523(a) of the Bankruptcy Code. Courts are divided on whether the definition of “return” added by the Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act makes tax debt associated with all late-filed returns non-dischargeable. Courts in the First Circuit have found that late-filed returns are not “returns” and the associated tax debt cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.  

The article discusses recent cases including: In re Fahey, 779 F.3d 1 (1st Cir. 2015), In re Nilsen, 542 B.R. 640 (Bankr. D. Mass. 2015) and Berry v. Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Case No. 15-41218-CJP (Bankr. D. Mass. June 30, 2016).