What does pensionable mean?
Pensionable is an adjective meaning eligible for a pension or contributing to the calculation of pension benefits. It is commonly applied to people, jobs, periods of employment, and pay. A pensionable employee satisfies the conditions required to receive a pension, while pensionable service or pensionable pay is the part of a career or remuneration that counts toward the eventual benefit. The expression pensionable age denotes the age at which a person becomes eligible for a state or occupational pension. In British, Irish, and Commonwealth usage, the word often appears in employment terms, occupational schemes, and public-service administration; it is less common in American English. Its important distinction is eligibility rather than receipt: a person can be pensionable without having yet retired or begun receiving a pension.
Eligible to receive a pension, or qualifying toward pension entitlement.
"Only employees with at least ten years of pensionable service qualify for the supplementary benefit."
Especially associated with employment schemes, public-service pensions, and statutory pension age in British and Commonwealth English.
Of remuneration or benefits: forming part of the basis on which a pension is calculated.
"The pension scheme is based on pensionable pay rather than total salary."
This use is especially common in occupational pension and payroll terminology.
Pensionable service counts; being eligible to receive a pension is not the same as actually having retired into one.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pensionable come from?
Pensionable was formed in English from pension and the suffix -able, originally expressing the sense “liable or qualified to receive a pension” and later extending to contributions that qualify toward a pension. The English noun pension comes through Old French from Latin pensio, a payment or installment, ultimately related to Latin pendere, “to weigh, assess, or pay.” Its established relatives include pensioner, denoting a pension recipient, and the less common pensionary.
Related word forms
How pensionable is actually used
The term is especially common in British, Irish, and Commonwealth workplace, pension, and public-sector language. In American English, it is uncommon and is more likely to occur in formal pension or employment documents than in everyday speech.
Easily confused with pensionable
A person or employee is pensionable when eligible for a pension, but pensioned when already receiving one.