gældsandel

Gældsandel (literally “debt share”) is a term used in Danish law and finance to describe the portion of a debt for which a person or entity is legally responsible. It arises when several parties share liability for a single obligation, or when liability is allocated through a contract, settlement, or court decision. The concept concerns repayment responsibility, not ownership of assets.

In practice, gældsandel appears in situations such as divorce settlements, where debts incurred during a marriage are divided between spouses; in bankruptcy or insolvency scenarios with multiple guarantors or co-borrowers; and in corporate lending where several borrowers or guarantors are collectively liable for a loan. While all parties may be liable to the lender, the specific gældsandel determines how much of the debt each party is expected to cover.

How the gældsandel is determined can vary. It may be set by an explicit agreement, a court decision, or by the terms of a loan or guarantee. Absent an agreement, allocation may reflect factors such as relative contribution to the debt, capacity to pay, or the purpose of the loan. In some liability schemes, parties remain jointly and severally liable to the lender, meaning the lender can seek the full amount from any one party, with the eventual distribution of payment among debtors reflecting their gældsandel.

The concept affects repayment obligations, creditworthiness, and risk management. It is distinct from ownership or equity and should not be confused with the value of assets held.