any nonwage payment or benefit (e.g., pension plans, profit-sharing programs, vacation pay, and company-paid life, health, and unemployment insurance programs) granted to employees by employers. They may be required by law, granted unilaterally by employers, or obtained through collective bargaining. Employers' payments for fringe benefits are included in employee-compensation costs and therefore are not usually liable to corporate income tax. If the cost of fringe benefits were paid directly as wages, the worker would pay personal income tax on this amount and therefore have less to spend on such benefits as he might elect to furnish for himself. Thus, the employer can obtain more benefits for the employee with the same amount of money. He can also take advantage of lower group rates for insurance.

Fringe benefits have generally constituted a higher proportion of total employee compensation in Europe than in the United States. In Europe they are most often the result of legislation, whereas in the United States collective bargaining has been more important in gaining such benefits for workers. The prevalence of fringe-benefit programs increased sharply during World War II because controls on this type of compensation were less stringent than controls on wages.