Meaning & use
payscale
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablebusiness
A system or table that shows the levels of pay for different jobs or ranks in a company or organization.
Grammar: Often used with 'on': 'on the payscale'. Can be written as two words: 'pay scale'.
Patterns
- on the payscale
- a payscale for something
- set a payscale
The new contract puts all junior staff on a higher payscale.
According to the payscale, a senior engineer earns between $80,000 and $110,000.
The government published a payscale for teachers with ten different levels.
Word forms
| plural | payscales |
|---|
Common combinations
- on the payscale
- After the promotion, she moved up two points on the payscale.
- a national payscale
- Nurses are demanding a national payscale that reflects their experience.
- payscale range
- The payscale range for this position is $50,000 to $70,000.
- top of the payscale
- He has reached the top of the payscale and cannot earn more without changing roles.
Synonyms and how they differ
- salary scale
- Very similar, but 'salary scale' is more common in British English and often refers to salaried jobs.
- pay grade
- A specific level within a payscale; a payscale is the whole system of levels.
Word family
Commonly confused: payscale or pay scale?
payscale vs pay scale
This is just the two-word spelling of the same term; 'payscale' is also accepted.
Practice
Most employees in the company are paid according to a fixed ___.
Choose one answer.
A payscale is a system of pay levels. A paycheck is the actual payment; payroll is the list of employees and total wages; a payout is a single payment.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “payscale”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.