transfer payment

noun

1

: a public expenditure made for a purpose (such as unemployment compensation) other than procuring goods or services

—usually plural

2

transfer payments plural : money (such as welfare payments) that is received by individuals and that is neither compensation for goods or services currently supplied nor income from investments

Examples of transfer payment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the United States, youth clubs have been largely excluded from transfer payments. — Manuel Rueda, NPR, 30 Aug. 2026

In July 2025, they were hit with a transfer embargo after failing to maintain transfer payments. — Leon Imber, New York Times, 23 July 2026

So, over a third of Americans’ individual income tax dollars were siphoned away and not used for the provision of government goods, services, and transfer payments. — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 15 July 2026

The total net differential between federal tax receipts from states and federal dollar contributions to states from 2018 to 2022 amounted to a more than $1 trillion transfer payment from blue to red states. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 16 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1945, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for transfer payment

• overpayment
• underpayment
• claimant
• copayment
• embayment
• nonpayment
• prepayment
• repayment