Meaning & use
be in arrears
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiomformalfinance
To have fallen behind on a payment that should already have been made, such as rent, a loan or a bill.
Grammar: Used with the verb be, and usually followed by with or on: be in arrears on the rent.
Patterns
- be in arrears with something
- be in arrears on something
- be three months in arrears
The tenants were three months in arrears with the rent.
If you are in arrears on your mortgage, contact the bank early.
The council warned that anyone in arrears would face a fine.
phraseidiomfinancetechnical
To be paid at the end of a pay period instead of at its start, as with wages or fees due after the work is done.
Grammar: In this sense the payment is simply late by design: paid in arrears.
Patterns
- be paid in arrears
Our fees are billed in arrears, so you pay after the month ends.
Interest on the loan is charged in arrears.
Because staff are paid in arrears, the first paycheck arrives in the second month.
Word forms
| third person singular | is in arrears |
|---|---|
| past tense | was in arrears |
| -ing form | being in arrears |
Common combinations
- fall into arrears
- The family fell into arrears after losing a job.
- rent arrears
- The landlord is chasing rent arrears.
- in arrears with the rent
- She was in arrears with the rent for two months.
- pay off arrears
- He is paying off his arrears in monthly installments.
- mortgage arrears
- Mortgage arrears rose sharply last year.
Synonyms and how they differ
- be behind
- Be behind is the everyday, informal version, and can refer to any task, while be in arrears is limited to payments.
- be overdue
- Be overdue describes the payment itself being late, whereas be in arrears describes the person who owes.
- be in default
- Be in default is more serious and suggests breaking the whole loan agreement, not just missing some payments.
- be delinquent
- Be delinquent is an American legal and banking term, harsher than be in arrears.
Opposites
Word family
- arrears noun
- money that is owed and late
- arrearage noun
- an American term for overdue debt
- arrear noun
- a rare singular form
- in advance phrase
- before the due time
Commonly confused: be in arrears or in advance?
be in arrears vs in advance
In advance means before the usual time, while in arrears means after the time it should have been paid.
Practice
The tenants have not paid since March, so they are now ___ the rent.
Choose one answer.
In arrears with shows that a payment is late. Ahead of and in advance would mean the opposite, and free from means exempt.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “be in arrears”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.