Meaning & use
flat fee
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A single fixed price charged for a service or product, not changing with time or amount used.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a flat fee' or 'flat fees'.
Patterns
- charge a flat fee
- pay a flat fee
- a flat fee for something
The lawyer charges a flat fee for simple wills.
Instead of paying by the hour, we agreed on a flat fee of $500.
Some gyms offer a flat fee for a whole year.
Word forms
| plural | flat fees |
|---|
Common combinations
- charge a flat fee
- The consultant charges a flat fee for each report.
- pay a flat fee
- You pay a flat fee when you enter the park.
- a flat fee for something
- There is a flat fee for delivery.
- a one-time flat fee
- The app costs a one-time flat fee of $10.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fixed charge
- Similar, but 'fixed charge' is often used for a single cost within a larger bill, while 'flat fee' suggests the whole price is fixed.
- flat rate
- Often interchangeable, but 'flat rate' is more common for ongoing services like electricity or phone calls.
Opposites
Commonly confused: flat fee or flat rate?
flat fee vs flat rate
A flat rate is a price that stays the same for each unit (e.g., per minute), while a flat fee is a single total price for the whole service.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'flat fee' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A flat fee is a single fixed price, so it does not change with time or extra charges. Option 1 fits because it is a one-time total. Option 2 suggests an hourly rate, which is not flat. Option 3 is per minute, also not flat. Option 4 adds extra charges, so it is not a single fixed fee.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “flat fee”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.