pretax

adjective

pre·​tax ˌprē-ˈtaks 

variants or pre-tax

: existing before provision for taxes : before taxes are deducted

pretax earnings/profits

The most common self-directed plans, 401(k) plans, leave it up to employees to voluntarily contribute part of their pretax salary.

—Ellen E. Schultz

Examples of pretax in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Plaza Theatre spotlights Georgia film history, showing ‘Deliverance’ and more These are from the pretax credit era, when Peach State productions were … weirder. —Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 5 Mar. 2026

Those pretax funds will be subject to regular income taxes upon withdrawal, according to the Treasury guidance. —Kate Dore, Cfp®, Ea,jessica Dickler, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2026

His simple idea — having employees contribute a portion of their pretax wages to company retirement plans and having their employers match those contributions with tax-deductible contributions — has exploded into a multitrillion-dollar industry. —Dallas Morning News, 21 Feb. 2026

The formula states that qualified employees get $1,000 per every $1 billion in annual earnings before interest and taxes, or pretax profits for North America. —Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 10 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pretax

• attacks
• backpacks
• beeswax
• borax
• callbacks
• carfax
• climax
• cutbacks
• drawbacks
• feedbacks
• flashbacks
• greenbacks

Legal Definition

pretax

adjective

pre·​tax

ˌprē-ˈtaks

: existing or occurring before the assessment or deduction of taxes

pretax income

pretax contributions