back payment

IPA/bˈak pˈeɪmənt/
IPA/bˈæk pˈeɪmənt/

back payment — idiom

1. money that an employer owes to a worker for work done in an earlier period, typi

1.idiomB2
Definition

money that an employer owes to a worker for work done in an earlier period, typically paid later than it was due, for example after a wage agreement is reached

Example

Reema finally received the back payment from her old employer this morning.

noun phrase: back payment + from + employer

The teachers' union helped members claim back payment for the previous school year.

Common collocations
  • claim back payment
  • receive back payment
  • back payment for
  • back payment from
  • back payment of wages
Synonyms
  • back pay

    more common shorter form, used especially for salary owed from a pay raise

  • arrears

    more formal; often refers to any overdue debt, not just wages

  • overdue payment

    broader term covering any late payment, not limited to employment

Antonyms
  • advance payment

    money paid before work is done, the opposite of back payment

Usage Note

Commonly refers to wages or salary owed from a past period. Often used in contexts of labour disputes, union negotiations, or government pay adjustments.

Common Mistakes

He asked for a back payment before starting the new job.
He asked for an advance payment before starting the new job.
Back payment is for work already done, not future work.
She received a back payment from a friend.
She received a loan repayment from a friend.
Back payment specifically refers to owed wages or salary, not personal loans.

Etymology

English

The phrase combines 'back' (used since the 1600s to mean 'belonging to an earlier time' or 'in arrears') with 'payment'. 'Back pay' appeared in the late 1800s in labour and employment contexts, and 'back payment' followed as a fuller form of the same idea.