Ertrag

Ertrag is a German noun meaning yield, return, income, or revenue. It is used in several contexts, including agriculture, economics, accounting, and taxation, to denote the value or quantity produced or received by a resource, asset, or activity.

In agriculture, Ertrag refers to crop yield—the quantity of agricultural produce obtained from a given area or cultivation period. Common expressions include Ertrag pro Hektar (yield per hectare). The unit of measure depends on the crop and reporting standards, such as tonnes per hectare or hectoliters per hectare.

In economics and accounting, Erträge are inflows of economic value recognized by a business. They include sales revenue, interest income, dividends, rents, and gains from asset disposals. Erträge are recorded on the credit side of double-entry accounting and form a component of the company’s income before deducting expenses (Aufwendungen). The term is broad and includes operating as well as non-operating income.

In finance and taxation, specific forms such as Zinsertrag (interest income) or Dividendenertrag (dividend income) are used. Government revenue is referred to as Steuererträge or Staatserträge, reflecting money collected by the state. In everyday language, Ertrag can also denote the general profitability or return of an investment, though it does not equal net profit.

Etymology: Ertrag derives from the verb tragen (to carry) with the prefix er-, conveying the result of production or the amount yielded. See also Einkünfte, Umsatz, Gewinn, Einkommen, Steuererträge.