Meaning & use
per annum
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Meanings
adverbnot comparableformalbusiness
For each year, used when giving a yearly amount, rate or limit.
Grammar: Comes after the figure it describes: 30,000 dollars per annum.
Patterns
- amount per annum
The job pays 40,000 dollars per annum.
The loan carries interest of four percent per annum.
Membership costs 120 pounds per annum.
adverbnot comparablelegalformal
Within a single year, used for limits or counts that apply to every year.
Grammar: Often used in contracts for caps: no more than ten days per annum.
Patterns
- up to something per annum
Employees may carry over up to five vacation days per annum.
The park receives roughly two million visitors per annum.
Common combinations
- salary per annum
- The advertised salary is 55,000 dollars per annum.
- interest rate per annum
- The interest rate is six percent per annum.
- per annum basis
- Costs are calculated on a per annum basis.
- increase per annum
- Rent will increase three percent per annum.
- visitors per annum
- The museum attracts a million visitors per annum.
Synonyms and how they differ
- annually
- Annually is the everyday word for once a year, and it can go before or after a verb, unlike per annum.
- yearly
- Yearly is plain and informal, while per annum is Latin and sounds formal or legal.
- a year
- A year is the casual spoken way to give the same rate.
- p.a.
- P.a. is the written abbreviation, used in tables and contracts.
Word family
Commonly confused: per annum or per diem?
per annum vs per diem
Per diem means per day, so use it for daily allowances rather than yearly pay.
Practice
A job ad says 'salary of 60,000 dollars per annum'. What does that tell you?
Choose one answer.
Per annum means for each year.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “per annum”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.