back pay

British

noun

pay received by an employee from an increase awarded retrospectively

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If companies can show they are trying to correct a violation, by giving back pay to workers and agreeing to change the offending practices, the law keeps penalties low.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

TSA employees didn’t get their back pay for two to four weeks after the last shutdown ended in November, according to Jones.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Even after funding resumes, workers may wait weeks for back pay, which means that callouts and resignations won’t disappear overnight.

From Slate • Mar. 26, 2026

They may receive back pay or compensation once the shutdown ends.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Though Harriet had repeatedly applied for a pension for herself or back pay to reimburse her for those years she had served with the Union forces, her claim was never allowed.

From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023