incentive pay

American  

noun

1. 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

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 for 2025 are projected to be robust, with some businesses seeing double-digit increases in incentive pay.

From Barron's • Nov. 5, 2025

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

The best resource is word-of-mouth; a caregiver who refers an at-least-part-time hire receives $110 in incentive pay.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 21, 2022

Parker will note the airline has “developed incentive pay programs for peak travel periods to fortify our efforts to operate every flight on our schedule.”

From Reuters • Dec. 13, 2021