Retroactive from vs. Retroactive to

Retroactive from

/ˌrɛtroʊˈæktɪv/

Relating to a law or rule that applies to events that happened before it was enacted or imposed.

Examples:

Policies were applied retroactive from January 1st.His benefits increased retroactive from last month’s pay period.She corrected the document effective retroactive from last week.

Synonyms:

retrospectivebackdated

Antonyms:

prospective

Retroactive to

/ˌrɛtroʊˈæktɪv tu/

Applying to a period before the given time or date

Examples:

The pay raise was retroactive to April 1st, covering past months.They decided the policy change would be retroactive to last year.The new law is retroactive to January, affecting all past records.

Synonyms:

backdatedretrospective

Antonyms:

prospective

Ways to tell them apart:

• Retroactive from indicates a start point moving forward in time starting from a past date.
• Retroactive to indicates a point in time you reach going backwards from now or another specified future date.
• Retroactive from is like tracing a line starting from a past date onward, to affect later dates.
• Retroactive to is about affecting past situations by applying current or future conditions backward to a certain point.
• Use retroactive from when communicating that a rule or law applies starting from a specified date onward.