a list of a company's employees and the amount of money they are to be paid, the total amount of money that a company pays to its employees

meet the payroll, on the payroll, off the payroll

Formal and Informal Expressions of payroll

In different contexts, you can replace 'payroll' with suitable alternatives. In a more formal setting, 'salary list, wage bill' is apt.

payroll: Explore its Definition & Usage

payroll Definition

1a list of a company's employees and the amount of money they are to be paid
2the total amount of money that a company pays to its employees

Using payroll: Examples

Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "payroll" can be used in various situations through the following examples!

Example
The payroll department is responsible for paying all the employees.
Example
The company's monthly payroll is $500,000.
Example
She works in payroll and handles all the employee salaries.

payroll Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms for payroll

salary list
wage bill
staff costs

Phrases with payroll

meet the payroll
to have enough money to pay one's employees
Example
The company struggled to meet the payroll during the economic downturn.
on the payroll
employed by a company and receiving regular pay
Example
He has been on the payroll for five years now.
off the payroll
no longer employed by a company and no longer receiving regular pay
Example
After the restructuring, many employees were taken off the payroll.

Origins of payroll

from 'pay' + 'roll', meaning a list of names of people receiving pay

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Summary: payroll in Brief

The term 'payroll' [ˈpeɪroʊl] refers to a list of employees and their salaries or the total amount of money a company pays its employees. It is managed by the payroll department and includes phrases like 'meet the payroll,' meaning to have enough money to pay employees, and 'on/off the payroll,' referring to employment status.