Business expressions with "pay"

Here are some common expressions related to "pay".

pay raise / rise = when you get more money in your job. The difference between "raise" and "rise" is that "raise" implies that you needed to negotiate for it, while "rise" means that the increase was somehow automatic.

back pay = when you are paid for work in the past. This often happens if your union negotiates a back-dated pay raise (a pay raise that starts from a previous date).

equal pay = when men and women are paid the same for the same work.

pay scale = the range of pay within a company or sector.

severance pay = pay you get when your contract is terminated earlier than originally agreed

sick pay = pay you get when you are ill and not able to work

overtime pay = extra pay you get for working extra hours

take-home pay = the final amount of money you earn after taxes etc are paid

pay-as-you-earn = the system in the UK where taxes etc are deducted from your pay first

pay-day = the day on which the wages are paid

pay roll = the list of employees in a company receiving pay

pay slip = the piece of paper employees get with their pay showing how much tax / insurance etc they have paid

pay freeze = when all pay rises are "frozen", and no extra money is available.

See also our post on talking about difficult times, and the article on getting a pay raise in a recession.