Hyvittämistä

Hyvittämistä is a Finnish noun form related to the verb hyvittää, meaning to compensate, reimburse, or rectify. The term is used to describe the act or result of making something right—typically by providing compensation for damage, loss, or inconvenience, but it can also refer to correcting an error or returning value to a party.

In practical and legal contexts hyvittäminen commonly refers to financial remedies. This includes refunds, discounts, or credit notes issued to a customer to offset a defect, mistake, or overcharge. The concept is central in consumer protection and contract law, where such compensation serves to balance a harmed party’s position and restore the situation as far as possible.

Hyvittämistä can also be used in a broader, non-financial sense to denote making amends for an offense or fault, i.e., taking steps to repair the harm caused by one’s actions. In corporate or administrative settings, the term is often contrasted with other terms such as korvaus (compensation) and hyvitys (a credit or refund) to distinguish the act of compensation from the instrument or form of settlement.

In accounting and commerce, hyvittäminen is connected to instruments like hyvityslasku (credit note) or other adjustments that reduce the amount payable or recognize acknowledged losses. The nuance of the term emphasizes restoration of balance or rectification, rather than mere acknowledgment of fault.

See also: hyvitys, korvaus, oikaisu, luottokirje.