payment on top

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "payment on top" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in contexts where you are discussing an additional payment or fee that is added to a base amount. Example: "The total cost of the service includes a payment on top for expedited processing."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

12 human-written examples

This included an unexplained additional payment on top of his contractual entitlement, worth £50,100.

The Guardian - Business

Crucially they'll be able to get work, and keep the payment on top of any wages they earn.

Independent

Wage garnishment amounts are not considered voluntary, so the guarantee agencies usually ask for a full payment on top of the wage garnishment amount.

The New York Times

In most cases this is an extra payment on top of the £200,000 you would receive if you later developed another serious illness.

The Guardian - Money

Mr. Kapell said anyone buying a $400,000 house faces a $5,000 transfer-tax payment on top of other closing costs.

The New York Times

Martin Winterkorn – the chief executive who resigned and thus "took responsibility for the irregularities" – got a €9.3m termination payment on top of a bonus-heavy €7.3m pay package.

The Guardian - Business

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

47 human-written examples

Pensioners, for example, get free bus travel and also receive tax-free winter fuel payments on top of their state pension.

The Economist

It is thought that Pennycook – who is getting a £900,000 salary and £900,000 of retention payments on top – and others are already considering whether to accept the payments.

The Guardian - Business

But the dividend and rental income payments on top of his salary in 2014-15 meant he will have benefited from the tax cut last year.

The Guardian

Adventure holiday specialist Exodus is scrapping its policy of charging local payments on top of its holiday price after complaints from customers.

The Guardian - Travel

Additional payments on top of salaries should be for exceptional performance, not the rule, and the bonus culture that has existed for too long in too many companies must come to an end.

The Guardian - Business

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing about compensation, use "payment on top" to clearly indicate an extra amount added to a base salary or fee.

Common error

Avoid substituting "on top" with prepositions that change the meaning, such as "instead of" or "in place of", as these negate the sense of addition.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "payment on top" functions as a prepositional phrase modifying a noun, indicating an additional or supplementary payment. Ludwig AI's analysis confirms it is correctly used to specify an extra amount added to a base payment.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

20%

Formal & Business

20%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "payment on top" is a grammatically sound and clearly understood way to describe an additional payment. Ludwig AI confirms its usability and provides various examples from reliable sources like The Guardian and The New York Times. While not extremely common, the phrase is used effectively across news, science, and business contexts to clarify compensation details. For alternative phrasing, consider "additional payment" or "extra payment" for similar meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

additional payment

Replaces "on top" with the adjective "additional", providing a more direct description.

extra payment

Substitutes "on top" with "extra", emphasizing the supplementary nature of the payment.

supplementary payment

Uses a more formal term, "supplementary", to denote the additional nature of the payment.

bonus payment

Implies the additional payment is a reward or incentive.

additional fee

Focuses on the payment being a charge for a service or product.

surcharge

Suggests the payment is an extra charge added to the original price.

premium payment

Indicates the additional payment is for a higher level of service or product.

top-up payment

Commonly used in British English, emphasizing adding to an existing amount.

incremental payment

Highlights that the payment is added in small steps or amounts.

piggyback payment

The secondary payment rides along with the primary payment.

FAQs

What does "payment on top" mean?

The phrase "payment on top" refers to an additional amount of money that is added to a base fee, salary, or other form of payment.

How can I use "payment on top" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe additional compensation, such as "He received a bonus "payment on top" of his regular salary."

What can I say instead of "payment on top"?

You can use alternatives like "additional payment", "extra payment", or "supplementary payment" depending on the context.

Is "payment on top of" grammatically correct?

Yes, the phrase "payment on top of" is grammatically correct and widely used to indicate an additional payment added to a base amount.