Erstatten

Erstatten is a German verb with two primary meanings that are common in formal and administrative language. It can mean to reimburse or repay money that has been spent, and it can mean to provide or submit a report to an authority or another recipient. The verb is regular in its conjugation and uses haben as the auxiliary in the perfect.

In the reimbursement sense, erstatten takes a direct object that denotes what is being repaid and a recipient in the dative. Typical phrases include kosten erstatten, auslagen erstatten or schadenersatz erstatten. Example: Die Versicherung erstattet dem Patienten die Kosten für die Behandlung. In passive constructions, one speaks of costs or expenses that are erstattet. The perfect form is hat erstattet, e.g., Die Kosten wurden von der Versicherung erstattet.

In the reporting sense, erstatten means to submit or furnish a report to a superior or authority. The direct object is often a Bericht, sometimes with content indicated by über. Example: Der Prüfer hat dem Aufsichtsrat Bericht erstattet über die Prüfungsergebnisse. Another example: Die Behörde erstattet dem Vorstand einen Bericht über den Stand der Maßnahmen. The phrase can be used with different recipients (dem Vorstand, dem Ministerium) and with added content, e.g., über die Lage.

Ersatznouns related terms include Erstattung (the act or result of reimbursement) and Berichtserstattung in the sense of reporting. Erstatten is formal and common in legal, administrative, or corporate contexts.