Meaning & use
scale fee
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Meanings
nouncountable
a charge that varies according to a fixed schedule or set of rates, often based on income or the size of a transaction
Grammar: Countable: a scale fee, scale fees. Often used in the plural when talking about a system of charges.
Patterns
- a scale fee for something
- charge a scale fee
- pay a scale fee
The lawyer charged a scale fee based on the amount of money involved in the case.
Some clinics offer a scale fee so that patients with lower incomes pay less.
The real estate agent's scale fee increased with the selling price of the house.
nouncountableformal
a standard fee set by an official schedule, especially for professional services
Grammar: Countable; often used in the plural to refer to the whole schedule.
Patterns
- according to the scale fee
- the scale fee schedule
Notaries must follow the scale fee set by the state, so they cannot charge more.
The scale fee for a basic will is listed on the association's website.
Word forms
| plural | scale fees |
|---|
Common combinations
- charge a scale fee
- The accountant will charge a scale fee depending on your annual turnover.
- scale fee schedule
- Check the scale fee schedule before you hire a surveyor.
- pay a scale fee
- Low-income families pay a scale fee for childcare at the community center.
- a sliding scale fee
- The therapist uses a sliding scale fee, so you pay what you can afford.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sliding-scale fee
- Very similar, but 'sliding scale' emphasizes a smooth change according to income, while 'scale fee' can also mean a fixed schedule.
- standard fee
- A fixed charge that doesn't change; a scale fee changes according to a schedule.
- rate
- A more general word for a price or charge, often per hour or per unit.
Opposites
Word family
- scaled fee adjective
- another way to say a fee that is adjusted according to a scale
- scale noun
- a range of levels or a schedule of rates
Commonly confused: scale fee or sliding scale fee?
scale fee vs sliding scale fee
This is a type of scale fee, but it specifically changes gradually with income; 'scale fee' can also refer to a fixed schedule of charges.
Practice
Because the client had a low income, the charity offered a ______ fee for its advice.
Choose one answer.
The adjective 'scale' (or 'sliding scale') is used before 'fee' to show that the charge is adjusted according to income. 'Scaled' is a past participle and would need a different structure, and 'scales' is a plural noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “scale fee”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.