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What does Zahlungsaufforderung mean?

Zahlungsaufforderung (request for payment) is a letter in which someone asks you for money. It gives the amount, the account and a date.

die Zahlungsaufforderung · die Zahlungsaufforderungen (plural)

It comes from offices, companies or debt collection agencies. It is often the first letter, before a Mahnung comes.

Check whether you really owe the money and whether the amount is right. Look for the Kassenzeichen or the Verwendungszweck.

Do not pay into an account that seems strange to you. Fraudsters also send fake payment requests.

Example sentence

Mit dieser Zahlungsaufforderung bitten wir Sie, 120,00 Euro bis zum 15.11.2026 zu zahlen.

With this Zahlungsaufforderung we ask you to pay 120.00 euros by 15.11.2026.

What you can do

If the claim is wrong, write back before the date and say why. Do not ignore the letter.

  • Mahnung A Mahnung is a letter reminding you that a payment is missing. Fees are often added.
  • Rechnung A Rechnung (invoice) says how much you should pay for goods or a service, and by when.
  • Inkasso Inkasso (debt collection) means a company collects money for a Gläubiger that you supposedly owe them.
  • Kassenzeichen A Kassenzeichen is a number an office uses to match your payment.
  • Verwendungszweck The Verwendungszweck (payment reference) is the text you send with a bank transfer. It says what the money is for.
  • Ratenzahlung Ratenzahlung (payment in instalments) means you pay a debt in smaller amounts, for example part of it every month.