rückzahlbar

Rückzahlbar is a German adjective meaning repayable or redeemable. It describes financial obligations or instruments that require repayment of principal, typically by a defined date or schedule. The term can apply to loans, bonds, promissory notes, and other debt instruments, as well as fixed payment obligations arising from contracts.

In practice, a rückzahlbares Darlehen is a loan in which the borrower must repay the principal to the lender, possibly in installments and with interest. A bond or debt security may be described as rückzahlbar at maturity, meaning the issuer repays the nominal value to the holder on the due date. The word is also used for contractual payment obligations where a sum is due back to the payee.

In accounting and law, rückzahlbar signals a reimbursement obligation. Such obligations are typically classified as liabilities (Verbindlichkeiten) on the balance sheet, and their repayment is governed by a repayment plan (Tilgung) and a maturity date (Fälligkeit). The term can appear in subsidy or grant agreements to distinguish repayable assistance from non-repayable grants.

Etymology: from zurückzahlen 'to repay' and the suffix -bar, yielding an adjective. Related concepts include Rückzahlung, Tilgung, Fälligkeit, and Verbindlichkeit. The opposite concept is nicht rückzahlbar or nicht rückzahlbare Zuwendungen.