General Motors, which emerged from a government-ordered bankruptcy restructuring earlier this year, will begin paying back its debt to the United States and Canadian governments earlier than expected, a person with direct knowledge of G.M.’s plans said Sunday night.

The company, which received $50 billion in government financing to avoid collapse, will make its first payment of $1.2 billion toward $6.7 billion of senior debt at the end of December, this person said on the condition of anonymity. About 85 percent of that will be paid to the United States government, and 15 percent to Canada.

Of the $1.2 billion, $1 billion will go to the American government and $200 million to Canada. G.M. will continue the payments in each quarter thereafter, until that debt is repaid.

Of G.M.’s bailout package, an initial $13.4 billion was money made available, with strict conditions, in December by the Bush administration under the Troubled Asset Relief Program.