pay grade

American  

[pey greyd] / ˈpeɪ ˌgreɪd /

noun

1. the grade of a member of the armed services established according to a scale of increasing amounts of base pay and related to but not identical with official rank.

   A soldier in my pay grade had very little money.

2. a grade on any pay or salary scale.

   Advancement to a higher pay grade will depend on your job performance.

---

idioms

1. be above / be beyond one's pay grade, to be above one’s level of ability, skill, knowledge, or authority: It’s beyond this court’s pay grade to alter the doctrine.

   To be honest, that subject is way above my pay grade.

   It’s beyond this court’s pay grade to alter the doctrine.

Etymology

Origin of pay grade

First recorded in 1880–85; originally a term in the U.S. armed forces

Example Sentences

Whether that’s achievable is above my pay grade.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 10, 2026

If a pleated edge feels above your pastry pay grade, simply fold the edge of the dough over the filling.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

Then I went to a neurologist, who sent me to another neurologist, who said, ‘This is way above my pay grade.’

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2025

Asked if she thought the party needed a Welsh figurehead, she said: "That's above my pay grade."

From BBC • May 6, 2025

What I believed, at first, was that there were things about this war that I did not understand, that were above my station and pay grade.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse