beyond one's pay grade

English

Etymology

Possibly from the correspondence of pay grade to level of authority in U.S. Civil Service and in the U.S. armed forces.

Prepositional phrase

beyond one's pay grade

1. (idiomatic) Beyond one's level of authority.
   • 1971, Testimony before U.S. Congress. Senate. Committee on Armed Services,

     Sir, I think that is a policy decision only the President can make. That is beyond my pay grade.

2. (idiomatic) Beyond one's capability.
   • 2007, Los Angeles Times,

     Figuring out how it would work logistically is above and beyond my pay grade and my brain power.