pay grade

Compensation level designation

A pay grade is a level in a salary structure, typically used in military, government, or corporate hierarchies to determine compensation.

The phrase above my pay grade has become common idiom for something beyond one's authority or expertise—a way of deflecting responsibility upward: That decision is above my pay grade.

compensation

salary

Fixed periodic employment payment

wagePayment for labor
earningsMoney gained from work
incomeRegular monetary receipts

scale · bracket · step · level · band · tier · rate · base · ceiling · floor

military

rank

Position in hierarchy

enlistedSigned up formally
commissionedFormally assigned a task
officerAuthority figure in uniform

sergeant · lieutenant · captain · major · colonel · general · admiral · corporal · private · warrant

Categories

compensationsalary, income, wage, bonus, wages
military ranksgeneral, captain, major, sergeant, private
wageswage, salary, income, earnings, minimum wage
payrollbase salary, paystub, W-2, direct deposit, W-2 form
Career Termspromotion, tenure, seniority, rank, title
civil servicecivil servants, bureaucrat, civil servant, administrator, clerk

Opposites

hierarchical position

pay gradeentry level

For those starting out

bottom rung · executive level · minimum wage · top tier · highest rank

compensation structure type

pay gradeequal pay

Matching compensation regardless of identity

piece rate · under the table

formality of compensation structure

pay gradeunder the table

Without official documentation

piece work · tips

Family

pay, grade, payment, paid, upgrade, paying, gradual, repay, grading

Familiarity: Top 100,000
Profile: Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G