[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":3,"doc-seo-176796-105":53,"doc-detail-176796-en":126},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,14,19,24,29,34,39,44,49],{"id":8,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":11,"show_sort_weight":12,"slug":13},11,1,"Template","Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":15,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":16,"show_sort_weight":17,"slug":18},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":20,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":21,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":23},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":25,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":26,"show_sort_weight":27,"slug":28},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":30,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":31,"show_sort_weight":32,"slug":33},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":35,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":36,"show_sort_weight":37,"slug":38},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":40,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":41,"show_sort_weight":42,"slug":43},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":45,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":46,"show_sort_weight":47,"slug":48},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":50,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":51,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":52},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":54,"data":55},"ok",{"site_id":56,"language":57,"slug":58,"title":59,"keywords":60,"description":61,"schema_data":62,"social_meta":119,"head_meta":121,"extra_data":123,"updated_unix":125},105,"en","policy-and-procedures-for-write-offs","Policy and Procedures for Write-Offs","","Policy and procedures for write-offs guide a Public Housing Authority (PHA) on how to reduce specific tenant accounts receivable through book entries when amounts owed are unlikely to be collected. The policy emphasizes reasonable collection efforts, timing before fiscal year close under the Tenant Accounts Receivable (TAR) indicator, and internal controls requiring Board approval, except in rare cases. It clarifies differences from GAAP allowance for doubtful accounts and outlines roles for small and large PHAs.",{"@graph":63,"@context":118},[64,80,101],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":41,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/policy-and-procedures-for-write-offs/176796/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/policy-and-procedures-for-write-offs/176796.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Melati","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document","2026-10-19","2026-09-02",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":8},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",{"@type":102,"mainEntity":103},"FAQPage",[104,110,114],{"name":105,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":107},"What is a write-off for a tenant account receivable under this policy?","Question",{"text":108,"@type":109},"A write-off is a book entry that reduces a specific tenant’s receivable balance to the amount the PHA is likely to receive, normally zero, after collection efforts are unlikely to succeed.","Answer",{"name":111,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":112},"How does this write-off policy differ from the GAAP allowance for doubtful accounts?",{"text":113,"@type":109},"The GAAP allowance is a two-step estimate based on total receivables and expected uncollectible amounts across current and former tenants. This document’s write-off is for specific vacated tenants whose receivables are still outstanding but unlikely to be collected.",{"name":115,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Who performs initial and final determinations for write-offs in a small PHA?",{"text":117,"@type":109},"For Sample 1 (Small PHA), the Executive Director makes the initial and final determination for accounts considered uncollectable, subject to Board approval of the uncollectable list.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":120,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":122,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":124,"site_id":56},176796,1790135252,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":127},{"doc_id":124,"user_id":128,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":129,"doc_module":9,"category_id":40,"category_name":41,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":130,"file_id":131,"file_url":132,"file_type":133,"file_size":134,"view_count":8,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":135,"language":136,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":137,"faqs":138,"seo_title":139,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":140,"read_time":76},962085570644,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","Policy and Procedures for Write-Offs\nBACKGROUND INFORMATION\nPHAs should make every reasonable effort to collect all monies owed by current and former tenants for rent, late fees, excess utilities, tenant caused damage, etc.  However, there will come a time when the PHA determines that the monies owed to the PHA by a tenant will not be collected.   Upon the determination that the tenant account receivable balances likely will not be collected, the PHA will write-off the account.  A write off is a book entry which reduces an account receivable balance to an amount that the PHA will likely receive, normally zero.\nWrite-offs can also improve a PHA’s score on the Tenant Accounts Receivable (TAR) indicator under the Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS) and therefore, should be completed prior to the close of the PHA’s fiscal year.\nThe policy as discussed in this document for writing off a receivable balance is sometimes confused with establishing a proper amount in the allowance for a doubtful account as required under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).  The write-off of a receivable balance discussed in this document refers to the amount to be written off for a specific tenant who is no longer in the PHA’s program but still owes money to the PHA.\nThe allowance for doubtful accounts refers to the two-step process where the PHA: 1) analyzes the tenant accounts receivable account balance which reflects the total amount that the PHA is owed from all current and former tenants (that have not been written off) and 2) calculates an estimate of how much of the total accounts receivable balance likely will not be collected and appropriately adjusts the allowance account.\nThe collection loss account (i.e., bad debt expenses account) is used to write off specific tenant account receivables and to adjust the allowance for a doubtful account.  Therefore, the collection loss account balance in most cases will not be the same as the actual collection losses written off by the Board.\nThis document provides two (2) samples of a PHA write-off policy and procedures.\nSample 1 – Small PHA. This sample provides an example write-off policy for a small PHA without a deputy director or finance staff.  The Executive Director is tasked with the initial and final determination that is made to the Board of those accounts considered uncollectable.\nSample 2 – Large PHA. This sample provides an example write-off policy for a large PHA with sufficient staff to segregate duties related to the execution of the procedures associated with the write-off policy.  Project Managers are tasked with the initial determination of those accounts considered uncollectable with a joint review to be completed by the Asset Manager and Finance Director, and a final review made by the Executive Director prior to submission of the list for Board approval.\nPHAs can simply cut and paste either sample or portions of both samples into their policy and procedures document and modify as needed.\u000f\nITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION\nIn the review of the samples, the PHA will need to take their specific situation into consideration when modifying the write-off policy and procedures to suit their PHA.\nThe following provides items that the PHA needs to consider when developing their policy and procedures for write-offs and the major assumptions that were used to develop the sample policy and procedures.\nReminder – PHAs may set their own procedures as to the number of times they will seek approval for accounts to be written off.  The number of times a year a PHA should seek approval for a write-off is normally associated with the amount and number of needed write-offs that occur each year.  Many PHAs will seek approval bi-annually.  Very small PHAs will likely need to seek approval once a year, while best practices for large PHAs is to submit write-offs to the Board on a quarterly basis for approval.\nAssumption – There is no HUD regulation which requires Board approval for the PHA to write-o","cbCaiex7WwWhv5NH","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiex7WwWhv5NH","docx",41152,7,"English","# Background Information\n## Purpose and definition of write-offs\n## Relationship to GAAP allowance and bad debt accounts\n## Sample structures (Small vs Large PHA)\n# Items for Consideration\n## Approval frequency assumptions\n## Key policy assumptions\n# Sample 1 – Small PHA\n## Write-off Policy\n## Write-off Procedures\n### Determination of accounts considered uncollectable\n# Sample 2 – Large PHA\n## Write-off Policy\n## Write-off Procedures","[{\"question\":\"What is a write-off for a tenant account receivable under this policy?\",\"answer\":\"A write-off is a book entry that reduces a specific tenant’s receivable balance to the amount the PHA is likely to receive, normally zero, after collection efforts are unlikely to succeed.\"},{\"question\":\"How does this write-off policy differ from the GAAP allowance for doubtful accounts?\",\"answer\":\"The GAAP allowance is a two-step estimate based on total receivables and expected uncollectible amounts across current and former tenants. This document’s write-off is for specific vacated tenants whose receivables are still outstanding but unlikely to be collected.\"},{\"question\":\"Who performs initial and final determinations for write-offs in a small PHA?\",\"answer\":\"For Sample 1 (Small PHA), the Executive Director makes the initial and final determination for accounts considered uncollectable, subject to Board approval of the uncollectable list.\"}]","Policy and Procedures for Write-Offs | DOCX",1788325620]