incentive pay

American

noun

additional pay, a higher wage, or a bonus paid to promote the productivity of an employee.

Etymology

Origin of incentive pay

First recorded in 1955–60

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.

These are lucrative skills at the electricity-gobbling sites, and Benner makes $225,000 a year, boosted in part by $100 in daily incentive pay for all workers on site.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

Year-end bonuses are projected to be robust for the second-straight year, with double-digit increases in incentive pay in some businesses, according to financial services compensation consultancy Johnson Associates.

From Barron's • Nov. 5, 2025

It also includes $4.4 million in incentive pay, the filing showed.

From Reuters • Sep. 22, 2023

The High Pay Centre said the rise was in part due to the economic recovery following lockdowns and through bosses having "strong incentive pay awards tied to profitability and share prices".

From BBC • Aug. 21, 2023

Guard leaders have talked about providing incentive pay to recruiters and Guard troops who bring in new recruits.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2022

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