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

See Examples For:

earned income

Here’s how it works: You pay 6.2% of your earned income toward Social Security and 1.45% toward Medicare, totaling 7.65% of your salary.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

I also have rental and passive income, and my earned income does not exceed $22,000 per year.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 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

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