Legal Definitions - entitlement

Definition: An entitlement is a guaranteed right to receive a benefit, usually a monetary one, that is granted immediately upon meeting a legal requirement.

Example 1:Social Security is an entitlement program that provides retirement benefits to eligible individuals who have paid into the system for a certain number of years.

Example 2:Unemployment insurance is another example of an entitlement program. If you lose your job through no fault of your own, you are entitled to receive a certain amount of money each week for a limited period of time.

These examples illustrate the definition of entitlement because they both involve a legal requirement that must be met in order to receive a guaranteed benefit. In the case of Social Security, the requirement is paying into the system for a certain number of years. In the case of unemployment insurance, the requirement is losing your job through no fault of your own. Once these requirements are met, the individual is entitled to receive the benefit without any further conditions or restrictions.