earned income

American  

noun

1. income from wages, salaries, fees, or the like, accruing from labor or services performed by the earner.

---

earned income British  

noun

1. income derived from paid employment and comprising mainly wages and salaries

---

Etymology

Origin of earned income

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Normally, you need earned income to fund a Roth IRA, which limits contributions for young children who don’t have jobs.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

Esther Holm, Grossman’s attorney, said the “evidence will show that she had not earned income for many years, since this accident and prior to this accident.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

You can also shave back income by harvesting investment losses to offset realized gains or some earned income.

From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026

After offsetting gains, losses can be used to offset up to $3,000 in earned income annually, and excess losses can be rolled to future years.

From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026

Some draw on government help in the form of food stamps, housing vouchers, the earned income tax credit, or—for those coming off welfare in relatively generous states—subsidized child care.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich