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Physician Contract Glossary · Compensation

Loan Forgiveness

Loan forgiveness in a physician contract is the schedule by which an advance or recruitment loan is written off as you stay.

When a hospital or group advances you money, forgiveness is the schedule that erases that debt as you serve your time. A typical structure forgives a portion each year over three to five years. Two things make or break it: the trigger for forgiveness (usually continued employment in a defined area) and the tax hit, because forgiven debt is often treated as taxable income in the year it is forgiven.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Map the forgiveness schedule against your real plans. If there is any chance you leave before the term ends, calculate the unforgiven balance plus the tax bill now, not later.

Related terms

Stop being recruited. Start choosing.

You are about to sign something the senior people in your program signed without reading.

They had no guide either. You do. Start with the option that costs you nothing: see every practice that is actually out there before anyone hands you a contract.

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