The present study goal is to identify possible causes of financial indebtedness in leisure by the elderly. This necessity arose from the current landscape where there is an increasing availability of leisure to people aged 60 or more, as well as easy access to personal loans, paycheck-linked loans and a surge in financial indebtedness cases. In this context, some elderly pursue personal pleasure and quality of life, dedicating a portion of their investments towards this end. Indebtedness is the process in which the individual incurs or assumes financial debt, being a broader phenomenon than an individual process of not knowing how to handle capital. It happens due to different causes, being one of them the paycheck-linked loan. Therefore, the adopted methodology was of a qualitative and exploratory nature, along with two groups of seniors. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews and interpreted through content analysis. The target audience consisted of 14 seniors, with an average age of 66 years, living in four cities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. For the participant's educational background, it was observed that the majority had concluded high school and higher education, each attaining 28,6% (n=4). Thus, the predominant reasons cited for indebtedness were loans, with different purposes: within leisure category: individual consumption, leisure travel individually, with friends or family 64,3%; car accident debts 7,1%; aiding third parties 14,6%; and healthcare at 28,6%. With this, the present study achieved its goal by highlighting the relationship between leisure and indebtedness, as pointed out by the participants. Finally, it was concluded that there is easy access to loans which facilitates acquiring debts, at the same time there is little investment in financial education for this audience, with an absence of courses or activities aimed at raising this awareness.

Keywords: Indebtedness, leisure, elderly people, financial education.