fringe benefit

noun

|Updated on: 14 Aug 2018

Definition of fringe benefit

1 : an employment benefit (such as a pension or a paid holiday) granted by an employer that has a monetary value but does not affect basic wage rates

2 : any additional benefit

increased energy is a fringe benefit of regular exercise

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Recent Examples of fringe benefit from the Web

Jordan explained that the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 is $35.2 million more than the previous year, largely because of a $27.9 million increase in the cost of fringe benefits.

— kathleen megan, courant.com, "UConn Budget Could Mean Larger Classes, Fewer Advisers, Revisiting Tuition Hike For Fall 2019," 27 June 2018
Ojakian said the latest deficit projections are driven largely by factors out of the system’s control, including increasing fringe benefits and SEBAC mandated wage increases.

— kathleen megan, courant.com, "Community College Tuition Could Double Without Savings From Consolidation, CSCU President Says," 26 Apr. 2018
Finding a new relationship between Saturn and its water-bearing moon is a fringe benefit of the mission.

— joe pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Saturn and Its Moon Enceladus Talk To Each Other. The Sound Is Perfectly Cosmic and Eerie.," 10 July 2018
Politico explains: [T]o help defray the budgetary cost of [tax cuts on businesses and individuals], Republicans simultaneously pared tax breaks for workers’ fringe benefits, which is projected to raise around $40 billion over the next decade.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "The GOP Raised Taxes on Churches to Fund Its Giveaway to the Rich," 26 June 2018
This new corner of the labor market features a lot of freedom and flexibility, sure, but also less-than-stellar wages and few if any fringe benefits.

— alan s. blinder, WSJ, "What to Do When the Labor Market Stops Working for Workers," 11 June 2018
The failure of public agencies to pay taxes on fringe benefits puts the agencies at risk for a substantial bill for back taxes.

— kay lazar, BostonGlobe.com, "Despite warning, MassDOT continued toll-free perk for workers, retirees," 8 June 2018
After all, who doesn’t want to reap some fringe benefits?

— elise taylor, Vogue, "Fringe Benefits: Why Tassels and Trimmings Are Making an Interior Design Comeback," 25 May 2018
Entering the labor market in tough times, millennials earn lower wages and have fewer fringe benefits than gen-Xers and late baby boomers did as young adults.

— erin arvedlund, Philly.com, "For millennials trying to save and invest, these Wharton MBAs show the way," 16 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fringe benefit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of fringe benefit

1948

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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FRINGE BENEFIT Defined for English Language Learners

fringe benefit

noun

Definition of fringe benefit for English Language Learners

: something extra (such as vacation time) that is given by an employer to workers in addition to their regular pay

Law Dictionary

fringe benefit

noun

legal Definition of fringe benefit

: an employment benefit (as a pension, a paid holiday, or health insurance) granted by an employer that has a monetary value but that does not affect basic wage rates