Inklingo

How to Say "deduction" in Spanish

English → Spanish

descuento

des-KUEN-tohdesˈkwento

nounB2general
Use 'descuento' when referring to a general reduction in price, wages, or taxes, often applied before the final amount is calculated.
A mechanical claw is lifting a small group of gold coins away from a larger stack of coins on a wooden table, symbolizing a deduction from a total amount.

Examples

Después del descuento de impuestos, su sueldo neto fue depositado.

After the tax deduction, his net salary was deposited.

El banco aplica un descuento a la factura antes de pagarla.

The bank applies a deduction to the invoice before paying it.

retención

nounB2formal
Use 'retención' specifically for money withheld from a payment, usually by law or contract, like taxes or social security contributions from a salary.

Examples

Tengo una retención del 15% en mi nómina.

I have a 15% withholding on my payslip.

tara

TAH-rahˈtaɾa

nounC1technical
Use 'tara' exclusively when talking about the weight of packaging or a container that is subtracted to find the net weight of the contents.
An empty, open, simple brown cardboard shipping box sits next to a small pile of colorful oranges.

Examples

Para calcular el peso neto, hay que restar la tara del envase.

To calculate the net weight, you must subtract the tare weight of the container.

La báscula está configurada para descontar la tara automáticamente.

The scale is set up to deduct the tare automatically.

Descuento vs. Retención

Learners often confuse 'descuento' and 'retención' because both involve subtracting an amount. Remember that 'retención' is typically a mandatory withholding (like taxes from your pay), while 'descuento' can be a discount, a general reduction, or even a logical inference.

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