checkoff

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable or uncountableAmericanbusiness

   A system in which a union takes its membership fees straight from workers' pay, with the employer's help.

   Grammar: Often used as a noun modifier: a checkoff system.

   Patterns

   • a checkoff of something
   • a dues checkoff

   The contract included a dues checkoff so members did not have to pay by hand.

   Workers could stop the checkoff by writing to the payroll office.

   The union relied on the checkoff for most of its income.

2. 2nouncountableAmerican

   A mandatory fee on sales of a farm product, used to pay for research and advertising of that product.

   Grammar: Countable: the beef checkoff supports advertising.

   Patterns

   • the checkoff on something
   • a checkoff program

   Growers pay a small checkoff on every bushel of soybeans they sell.

   The pork checkoff funded a national ad campaign.

   Some farmers voted against renewing the checkoff.

Word forms

Common combinations

dues checkoff

A dues checkoff keeps the union's budget steady.

checkoff program

The checkoff program pays for new marketing.

the beef checkoff

Ranchers argued about how to spend the beef checkoff.

checkoff system

The checkoff system saves the union administrative time.

Synonyms and how they differ

payroll deduction

Payroll deduction is any amount taken from pay, while checkoff specifically means union dues or a farm levy.

levy

Levy is a broad word for a compulsory charge, whereas checkoff names the specific agricultural or union arrangement.

deduction

Deduction can mean any subtracted amount, including tax, so it is far less specific than checkoff.

Word family

check off phrasal verb

to mark an item on a list as done

check verb

to examine or mark something

checklist noun

a list of items to tick as they are done

Commonly confused: checkoff or check-off list?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “checkoff”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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