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

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

From MarketWatch • Jan. 16, 2026

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 • Dec. 21, 2025

He also authored two opinions on a federal agricultural program from which he, as a farm owner, had earned income, while disclosing his participation in the program in court.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025

They could lose out on the earned income tax credit, which subsidizes lower-wage workers.

From Slate • Feb. 19, 2025

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