Crossword Genius

What must be paid for the company to get a good person (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

cost

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'what must be paid for' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'company to get a good person' is the wordplay.
'company' becomes 'co' (abbreviation).
'to get' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'a good person' becomes 'st' (saint).
'co'+'st'='COST'

'the' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for cost that I've seen before include "estimate price" , "penalty" , "Estimate the expense of doing" , "Amount required as payment" , "Suffering" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish News.
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