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 usually indicates that the policy or decision is applicable from a certain date going forward, and all events after that date are covered.
• Retroactive to means that the policy or decision applies to events that have occurred since a specific past date.
• Imagine setting a cutoff point: from sets it forward from that point, while to means all the way back to that point.
• Use retroactive from when you're starting the retroactive application from a point and covering actions or events occurring after that start point.
• Use retroactive to when you are drawing the line at a past date and making sure everything since that date is covered.