Compensation Glossary
Welcome to ERI SalaryExpert's compensation glossary, your resource for commonly used terms, formulas, and phrases related to compensation.
Credits
Several definitions: 1) A term used in accounting to describe a payment made towards an amount owed. 2) May also be a transaction between two parties whereby one (creditor/lender) provides money, goods or securities in return for a promised future payment by the other party (debtor/borrower). Transactions such as this normally include the payment of interest to the lender. Contrast with DEBIT.
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Percentile
Annual Incentive
Linear Regression
Coefficient of Determination
Hours of Work
Job Family
Restricted Stock
Lead-Lag Pay Structure Policy
Pay Range Overlap
Minimum Wage
Internal Equity
Individual Retirement Account (IRA)
Promotional Increase
Mean
Market Based Salary Increase Budget
Defined Benefit Plans
Green Circle Rate
Demotion
Broadbanding
General Salary Increase
Shift Differentials
Range Penetration
Salary Range
Mix
FICA
Range Spread
Merit Increase
Quartile
Lead Pay Structure Policy
Geographic Differential
Black-Scholes Model Z
Step Rates
Benchmarking
Cost of Living
Market Index
Red Circle Rate
Foreign Earned Income Exclusion
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
Stock Option Incentive
Sales Compensation
Total Rewards
Job Evaluation
Market Pricing
Works Council
Aging Survey Data
Mode
Compa-Ratio
Defined Contribution Plans
Lag the Market
Pay Grade
Cost of Labor
Lump Sum Merit
Salary Grade
Gender Pay Gap
Turnover
Benchmark Job
Standard Deviation
Standard Error of Estimate
Compensable Factors
Pay Equity
Range
Long-Term Incentive Plan
Bonus
Median
Midpoint Progression
Salary Structure Change
Year of Service
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About Us
ERI SalaryExpert was launched in 2000 by ERI Economic Research Institute to help organizations and individuals optimize salary planning. Our robust compensation management solution houses the global salary survey data and applications needed to design competitive and effective compensation structures. From benchmarking with reliable market data to analyzing geographic differentials and conducting pay equity analyses, our intelligent platform is an innovative way of merging integral salary survey data with efficient features, all in one system.
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Featured White Paper
Common Compensation Terms and Formulas - January 2026
Find commonly used compensation terms and formulas for your reference when planning compensation.
Ready to Streamline Your Compensation Strategy with Us?
Discover how our Assessor Platform can help you attract top talent, stay on top of market trends, and set your organization up for success, all in one platform.
Try a Free Demo
About Us
ERI SalaryExpert was launched in 2000 by ERI Economic Research Institute to help organizations and individuals optimize salary planning. Our robust compensation management solution houses the global salary survey data and applications needed to design competitive and effective compensation structures. From benchmarking with reliable market data to analyzing geographic differentials and conducting pay equity analyses, our intelligent platform is an innovative way of merging integral salary survey data with efficient features, all in one system.
Learn More