The term bad debts refers to debts that cannot be collected by a business or individual.
When a business extends credit to its customers, it is expected that the customers will repay the amount owed in a timely manner. However, in some cases, the customers may default on the payment or become unable to pay due to insolvency or bankruptcy. These unpaid debts are referred to as bad debts.
It is important for businesses to recognize bad debts as an expense in their accounting books so that they can reflect the true financial position of the company. Bad debts are usually written off as a loss in the income statement, which reduces the taxable income of the business.
The other options listed are not correct definitions of bad debts. A debt recorded in the wrong account can be corrected with a journal entry, and a debt owed by an employee or supplier is not necessarily a bad debt if it is still expected to be paid. A debt paid with fake currency is a fraudulent transaction, not a bad debt, as it was never a legitimate debt in the first place.