increase the allowance

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "increase the allowance" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when discussing financial matters, budgets, or permissions. For example, "The committee decided to increase the allowance for project funding." Alternative expressions include "raise the allowance" and "boost the allowance."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

Increasing allowance rates are a clear signal that such standards are being relaxed.The introduction of increased flexibility after 1986 increased the potential for governors to increase the allowance rates for political reasons.

IZA Journal of Labor Policy

He angered the royals when he voted against a government motion to increase the allowance to the Prince of Wales.

The Guardian

"If you raise the same revenue but increase the allowance, then it is the people in the middle of the income tax paying population that lose from a flat tax," says Christopher Heady, head of tax policy at the OECD.This finding is politically awkward for the Tories.

The Economist

"While we believe that our allowance for credit losses is adequate to cover inherent losses, we cannot assure you that we will not increase the allowance for credit losses further or that regulators will not require us to increase this allowance," the company said.

The New York Times

Indeed it appears that multi-term governors increase the allowance rates by almost 1.47 percentage points.

IZA Journal of Labor Policy

If the company above records another $10,000 in service revenue, another journal entry is needed to increase the allowance account.

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

Increasing the allowance is easy.

The Guardian

The cost of the measure could be offset by not increasing the allowance for higher-rate income taxpayers, a move that has the disadvantage of pushing more people into the higher rate band.

The Guardian

There is no easy answer, but the Liberal Democrat policy of increasing the allowance you can earn without paying any income tax helps to provide the poor with paths out of poverty through work.

The Guardian - Opinion

This increased the allowance rate for applicants with common musculoskeletal conditions (i.e. back pain and arthritis).

IZA Journal of Labor Policy

His party will spell out plans to "go further and faster" in increasing the allowance in the coming days, he said.

BBC

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use 'increase' when discussing formal policy changes or institutional adjustments as it carries a more professional tone than 'raise'.

Common error

Avoid using "increase the allowance" when you actually mean expanding an entire department's funding. An allowance typically refers to a specific, limited amount allocated to an individual or for a specific purpose rather than a general fiscal budget.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "increase the allowance" functions as a transitive verb phrase composed of the verb 'increase' and the noun phrase 'the allowance' acting as the direct object. According to Ludwig, this structure is standard for describing a quantifiable adjustment to a permitted amount.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

70%

Formal & Business

15%

Science

10%

Less common in

Wiki

3%

Social Media

1%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "increase the allowance" is a versatile and grammatically correct phrase widely used in high-quality journalism and formal reporting. Ludwig AI indicates that it is particularly prevalent when discussing tax thresholds, employment benefits and social welfare policy. While it often refers to financial stipends, it also maintains a specific niche in technical fields like tailoring. Writers should feel confident using this phrase in professional settings, though they should be careful to define the specific type of allowance to maintain clarity. For less formal contexts, a variant like raise the allowance is a perfectly suitable alternative.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

raise the allowance

Uses a common synonym for 'increase' often found in less formal settings.

boost the allowance

Implies a more significant or energetic increase in the provided amount.

augment the allowance

A more formal and academic alternative used in legal or technical writing.

expand the tax-free threshold

Specific to tax contexts where the 'allowance' refers to non-taxable income.

increase the stipend

Replaces 'allowance' with 'stipend' specifically for academic or grant-based funding.

heighten the limit

Focuses on the ceiling or boundary of a specific permitted amount.

elevate the budget

Refers to the overall financial pool rather than a specific individual payment.

extend the grant

Focuses on prolonging or enlarging a financial award.

supplement the payout

Suggests adding an extra amount to an existing payment structure.

enlarge the deduction

Often used in accounting to describe increasing the amount taken off a total.

FAQs

How do I use "increase the allowance" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe raising a financial limit, for example: "The government voted to "increase the allowance" for child support payments this year."

What is a more formal way to say "increase the allowance"?

In legal or academic writing, you might prefer to use "augment the allowance" or "adjust the threshold".

Does "increase the allowance" only apply to money?

Not necessarily. While usually financial, it can refer to physical dimensions, such as when you "increase the seam allowance" in tailoring.

What's the difference between "increase the allowance" and "raise the allowance"?

Both have the same meaning, but "raise the allowance" is often considered slightly more idiomatic in casual conversation, whereas "increase" is preferred in news and reports.