earned income

American  

noun

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

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earned income British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of earned income

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

You can keep contributing to a Roth IRA as the spouse of a working person, because the main rule for the contributions is that they have to come from earned income.

From MarketWatch

You also have to have enough combined earned income to be equal to or exceeding the total contributions you both make.

From MarketWatch

I plan to use trust funds to contribute to a Roth IRA once my relative has earned income.

From MarketWatch

These rules can help people with disabilities save more of their earned income, redirect unused college funds and get tax credits in a tax-free account.

From MarketWatch

You can’t contribute to an IRA — or a Roth IRA, for that matter — if you don’t have earned income.

From Los Angeles Times