German financial documents look intimidating, but they run on a fixed vocabulary that repeats everywhere — in annual reports, invoices, tax letters, and bank statements. Learn these 40 german finance accounting terms with their correct articles and plain-English definitions, and suddenly the Bilanz on your desk starts making sense.
Why does this matter for learners? Because finance vocabulary is unusually high-leverage: the same forty-odd words appear in every Geschäftsbericht (annual report), every Steuerbescheid (tax assessment), and every payslip you’ll ever receive in Germany. Unlike everyday small talk, financial German barely changes between companies — learn it once, use it for years, in every role and every industry. Even if you never work in accounting, you’ll meet these terms as an employee, a freelancer, or simply a resident dealing with German bureaucracy.
The terms are grouped the way a finance department thinks: statements first, then money flows, banking, taxes, and finally the trouble words nobody wants to need but everyone should recognize. Each entry gives the German term, its article, the English equivalent, and a short definition with a usage note. Pair this list with our essential German business vocabulary for the wider workplace context.
German Finance Accounting Terms for Financial Statements
These are the documents a German company produces every year — and the words you’ll meet in every annual report. If you only learn one section of this list, make it this one: Bilanz, GuV, Umsatz, and Gewinn appear in virtually every piece of German business news.
1. die Bilanz — the balance sheet.
The snapshot of a company’s assets, liabilities, and equity at year-end. „Die Bilanz zeigt einen Gewinn von zwei Millionen.” (The balance sheet shows a profit of two million.) Plural: die Bilanzen.
2. die Gewinn- und Verlustrechnung — the profit and loss statement.
Usually shortened to GuV. It shows revenues minus expenses over the year — the story behind the bottom line. „Die GuV liegt dem Bericht bei.” (The P&L is attached to the report.)
3. der Umsatz — the revenue / turnover.
Total sales before costs. A headline number in every German earnings report. „Der Umsatz stieg um zehn Prozent.” (Revenue rose by ten percent.)
4. der Gewinn — the profit.
What remains after all costs. „Das Unternehmen macht Gewinn.” (The company is making a profit.) The opposite is der Verlust.
5. der Verlust — the loss.
When costs exceed revenues. „Wir müssen den Verlust ausgleichen.” (We have to offset the loss.)
6. die Abschreibung — the depreciation.
The gradual write-down of an asset’s value over time — a key concept in German accounting, which tends to be conservative. „Die Maschinen werden über fünf Jahre abgeschrieben.”
7. der Kapitalfluss — the cash flow.
Literally “capital flow” — the movement of money in and out of the business. „Der Kapitalfluss ist positiv.” (Cash flow is positive.) Often you’ll also hear the English loanword der Cashflow.
8. die Liquidität — the liquidity.
Whether the company can pay its short-term bills. A profitable company can still fail from poor liquidity — a distinction German accountants stress constantly.
Money In and Money Out
The everyday vocabulary of payments, invoices, and budgets — the terms you’ll actually use at work. Whether you’re approving expenses, chasing an invoice, or just paying a bill, these eight words do most of the talking.
9. die Einnahmen — the income / revenue inflows.
Money coming in, plural-only noun. „Die Einnahmen sind gestiegen.” (Income has risen.)
10. die Ausgaben — the expenses / outgoings.
Money going out, also plural-only. „Bitte halten Sie die Ausgaben niedrig.” (Please keep expenses low.)
11. die Kosten — the costs.
Often used interchangeably with Ausgaben, but Kosten leans toward the cost of producing something. „Die Kosten pro Einheit sinken.” (Unit costs are falling.)
12. das Budget — the budget.
Pronounced with a French flavor. „Das Budget für nächstes Jahr steht.” (Next year’s budget is set.) Note it’s neuter: das Budget.
13. die Zahlung — the payment.
The general word for paying. „Die Zahlung ist eingegangen.” (The payment has arrived.)
14. die Überweisung — the bank transfer.
From überweisen (to transfer). Still the standard way Germans pay bills — „Ich mache eine Überweisung.” (I’ll make a bank transfer.)
15. die Rechnung — the invoice / bill.
One of the most useful words on this list. „Schicken Sie mir bitte die Rechnung.” (Please send me the invoice.) In a restaurant, „Die Rechnung, bitte.” gets you the bill.
16. die Quittung — the receipt.
Proof of payment for smaller amounts. „Kann ich eine Quittung haben?” (Can I have a receipt?) For tax purposes, keep every Quittung.
Banking, Loans, and Returns
The vocabulary of accounts, borrowing, and investing — essential if you bank or invest in Germany. Open a Girokonto (checking account) at any German bank and you’ll meet half of these words in the first appointment.
17. das Konto — the account.
The bank account: „Ich habe ein Konto bei der Sparkasse.” (I have an account at the Sparkasse.) Plural: die Konten.
18. der Kontostand — the account balance.
A compound of Konto + Stand (status). „Prüfen Sie regelmäßig Ihren Kontostand.” (Check your balance regularly.)
19. die Zinsen — the interest.
Plural-only noun. „Die Zinsen sind gestiegen.” (Interest rates have risen.) The singular der Zins exists but is rarely used.
20. das Darlehen — the loan.
The formal word for a loan, especially from a bank. „Die Bank gewährt ein Darlehen.” (The bank grants a loan.) In everyday speech, der Kredit is equally common.
21. die Schulden — the debt.
Plural-only. „Das Unternehmen hat hohe Schulden.” (The company has high debts.) To be in debt: in Schulden sein or verschuldet sein.
22. die Investition — the investment.
From the Latin root, instantly recognizable. „Die Investition lohnt sich.” (The investment pays off.)
23. die Rendite — the return / yield.
What an investment earns you. „Die Rendite beträgt fünf Prozent.” (The yield is five percent.)
24. die Dividende — the dividend.
The payout to shareholders. „Die Dividende wird im Mai ausgeschüttet.” (The dividend is paid out in May.)
Taxes and the Accounting Profession
Germany’s tax system has its own vocabulary — and its own professionals to navigate it. The German tax code is famously complex, which is why the Steuerberater exists as a protected profession and why even simple employees file a Steuererklärung to claw back overpaid tax.
25. die Steuer — the tax.
The general word. „Steuern zahlen” — to pay taxes. Plural: die Steuern.
26. die Mehrwertsteuer — the VAT (value-added tax).
Abbreviated MwSt. Currently 19% standard rate in Germany (7% reduced). You’ll see it on every receipt: „inkl. MwSt.” (incl. VAT).
27. die Einkommensteuer — the income tax.
The tax on personal earnings. „Die Einkommensteuer wird monatlich abgezogen.” (Income tax is deducted monthly.)
28. die Körperschaftsteuer — the corporate tax.
The income tax for corporations (Körperschaften). Essential vocabulary for anyone doing business as a GmbH.
29. die Lohnsteuer — the payroll tax / wage tax.
Income tax withheld directly from wages by the employer — the reason German payslips look the way they do.
30. die Steuererklärung — the tax return.
The annual declaration. „Die Steuererklärung ist bis Juli fällig.” (The tax return is due by July.) Most employees file one to claim deductions.
31. die Buchhaltung — the accounting / bookkeeping.
The department and the discipline. „Die Buchhaltung prüft die Belege.” (Accounting is checking the receipts.)
32. der Buchhalter — the accountant.
The person doing the books; female form die Buchhalterin. „Unser Buchhalter erstellt die GuV.”
33. der Steuerberater — the tax advisor.
A protected profession in Germany — only a certified Steuerberater may give certain tax advice. Most freelancers and small businesses have one.
34. der Wirtschaftsprüfer — the auditor.
The certified public auditor who signs off on company accounts. A step above the Steuerberater in the German professional hierarchy.
Trouble Terms: Insolvency, Debt Collection, and Creditors
Nobody hopes to need these — but German business news is full of them, so it’s worth knowing what they mean. Company insolvencies are reported matter-of-factly in the German press, and the vocabulary around them is precise.
35. die Insolvenz — the insolvency.
When a company can’t pay its debts. „Das Unternehmen hat Insolvenz angemeldet.” (The company filed for insolvency.) Note: German Insolvenz covers what English splits into insolvency and bankruptcy proceedings.
36. der Konkurs — the bankruptcy.
The older, more dramatic term — still used in everyday speech and in countries like Austria and Switzerland, though German law now technically speaks of Insolvenz.
37. der Gläubiger — the creditor.
The one owed money — from glauben (to believe/trust), because credit is trust. „Die Gläubiger verlangen ihr Geld.”
38. der Schuldner — the debtor.
The one who owes. The pair Gläubiger/Schuldner appears in every insolvency report.
39. die Mahnung — the reminder / dunning letter.
The formal payment reminder. Germans take Mahnungen in stages — the third one usually means business. „Wir haben die zweite Mahnung erhalten.”
40. das Inkasso — the debt collection.
When unpaid bills go to a collection agency: „Die Forderung wurde an ein Inkassobüro übergeben.” (The claim was handed to a collection agency.)
How to Read a German Invoice (die Rechnung)
The Rechnung is where half of these terms appear in the wild, so let’s walk through one. At the top you’ll find the Rechnungsnummer (invoice number) and the Rechnungsdatum (invoice date). The line items list the Nettobetrag (net amount) per position, then the Mehrwertsteuer is added — usually shown as „zzgl. 19% MwSt.” (zuzüglich, plus 19% VAT). The Bruttobetrag or Rechnungsbetrag is the total you actually pay. At the bottom, the Zahlungsbedingungen (payment terms) tell you when: „Zahlbar innerhalb von 14 Tagen” (payable within 14 days), sometimes with Skonto — a small discount (often 2–3%) for paying early, e.g. „2% Skonto bei Zahlung innerhalb von 10 Tagen”. The Zahlungsempfänger (payee) details include IBAN and BIC for the Überweisung. If you miss the deadline, expect a Mahnung — and after the second or third, possibly Inkasso. Knowing these words turns an intimidating German invoice into a simple checklist: amount, tax, total, deadline, bank details.
German Finance Abbreviations You Must Know
German finance loves abbreviations, and they show up on every document. MwSt. = Mehrwertsteuer (VAT); GuV = Gewinn- und Verlustrechnung (P&L); AG = Aktiengesellschaft (public limited company) and GmbH = Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (private limited company) — you’ll see these after nearly every company name. IBAN and BIC identify bank accounts for transfers. netto means excluding VAT, brutto including it; inkl. (inklusive, including) and zzgl. (zuzüglich, plus) tell you which way the tax goes. Skonto is the early-payment discount. USt. is short for Umsatzsteuer, the formal name of VAT in tax contexts, and ESt. shortens Einkommensteuer. On payslips you’ll meet brutto/netto for gross/net salary, plus SV for Sozialversicherung (social insurance). Learn these abbreviations alongside the full terms above and German financial paperwork loses most of its mystery — you’ll read a Rechnung or a Gehaltsabrechnung (payslip) with the same confidence as a native speaker.
Key Takeaways
- These 40 german finance accounting terms cover the documents, flows, banking, taxes, and trouble spots of German business finance — learn each with its article.
- Watch the patterns: -ung nouns are feminine (die Zahlung, die Überweisung, die Buchhaltung), and money-flow words are often plural-only (die Einnahmen, die Ausgaben, die Zinsen, die Schulden).
- In practice, die Rechnung, die Überweisung, and die Steuererklärung are the three you’ll use most — master those first, then the statement vocabulary (Bilanz, GuV) for reading company news.
- Continue with how to write a business email in German for the phrases around invoices and payments, German idioms for work and business for the colorful side of office talk, and our business German for beginners guide to put the grammar behind these terms in place.