"Refundable amount" vs "Amount to be refunded"

Question

Is it possible to use "refundable" where I mean "to be refunded"? I know that "payable amount" has a meaning of "amount to be payed". Is it the same with refund? I need very short term, preferable one word, used as an API field name.

Answer 1

Whether they can be used interchangeably would depend on the context. In most everyday matters, they are synonymous. But in certain legal contexts, for example, there could be a difference in meaning.

refundable = can be refunded (i.e. circumstances permit or allow)
to be refunded = will be refunded

There could also be a difference if the refund process consisted of several stages, an initial approval stage:

Amount Refundable
Refund Approved Date

a secondary stage where the refund amount can be allocated in different ways:

Refund Amount To Be Applied to Current Tax Year
Amount To Be Refunded to Taxpayer

and a stage where the monies were transferred:

Amount Refunded
Transaction Date

This is just an example to show the potential difference in meaning between the adjective with the able ending and to be + {past participle}.

Answer 2

Yes, you can say "refundable amount" - an amount that can be returned (or is returned). Consider "refund" - an amount of money that is given back to you, especially because you are not happy with a product or service that you have bought.

Consider this:

The term refundable deposits refers to cash collected from credit customers that a company expects to return after a specified period of time, or when certain conditions are satisfied. When companies collect this money, the intention is to return it after a relatively brief period of time.