Earned Income
Earned income includes all of the following types of income:
- Wages, salaries, tips, and other taxable employee pay. Employee pay is earned income only if it is taxable. Nontaxable employee pay, such as certain dependent care benefits and adoption benefits, is not earned income. But there is an exception for nontaxable combat pay, which you can choose to include in earned income, as explained below.
- Net earnings from self-employment.
- Gross income received as a statutory employee.
Nontaxable combat pay election. You can elect to include your nontaxable combat pay in earned income for the earned income credit.
Net earnings from self-employment. You may have net earnings from self-employment if:
- You own your business, or
- You are a minister or member of a religious order.
Minister's housing. The rental value of a home or a housing allowance provided to a minister as part of the minister's pay generally is not subject to income tax but is included in net earnings from self-employment.
Statutory employee. You are a statutory employee if you receive a Form W-2 on which the Statutory employee box (box 13) is checked.
Strike benefits. Strike benefits paid by a union to its members are earned income.
Amounts you received for performing ministerial duties as an employee count as earned income. This includes wages, salaries, tips, and other taxable employee compensation. Amounts you received for performing ministerial duties, but not as an employee, do not count as earned income. Examples include fees for performing marriages and honoraria for delivering speeches.
Disability Benefits. If you retired on disability, benefits you receive under your employer's disability retirement plan are considered earned income until you reach minimum retirement age. Minimum retirement age generally is the earliest age at which you could have received a pension or annuity if you were not disabled. Beginning on the day after you reach minimum retirement age, payments you receive are taxable as a pension and are not considered earned income.
This information is found in Publication 596, Earned Income Credit.
FAQs
For the year you are filing, earned income includes all income from employment, but only if it is includable in gross income. Examples of earned income are: wages; salaries; tips; and other taxable employee compensation. Earned income also includes net earnings from self-employment.
What is my earned income amount? ›
Earned income includes all the taxable income and wages you get from working for someone else, yourself or from a business or farm you own.
What disqualifies you from earned income credit? ›
Investment Income - If you have investment income of more than $11,000 in 2023 or 2024, you will not be eligible for the EIC. Investment income includes things like interest, dividends, and capital gains. 3. Foreign Income - If you have foreign earned income, you may not be eligible for the EIC.
What disqualifies you from earned income credit 2024? ›
If you received more than $11,000 in investment income or income from rentals, royalties, or stock and other asset sales during 2023, you can't qualify for the EIC. This amount increases to $11,600 in 2024. You have to be 25 or older but under 65 to qualify for the EIC.
What can I use as earned income? ›
Qualifying earned income includes wages, salaries, tips, net earnings from self-employment, and more. If you received more than $11,000 (tax year 2023) in income derived from investments, you are ineligible for the EIC.
What is the minimum income for earned income? ›
To qualify for the EITC, you must: Have worked and earned income under $63,398. Have investment income below $11,000 in the tax year 2023.
Is Social Security considered earned income? ›
Unearned Income is all income that is not earned such as Social Security benefits, pensions, State disability payments, unemployment benefits, interest income, dividends, and cash from friends and relatives.
How do you show earned income? ›
How to Provide Proof of Income
- Annual Tax Return (Form 1040) This is the most credible and straightforward way to demonstrate your income over the last year since it's an official legal document recognized by the IRS. ...
- 1099 Forms. ...
- Bank Statements. ...
- Profit/Loss Statements. ...
- Self-Employed Pay Stubs.
Your gross income can be found on a pay stub as the total amount of money you earned in a given period before any deductions or taxes are removed. You can also see your total gross income on your year-end W2 or 1099.
What disqualifies someone from earned income credit? ›
In general, disqualifying income is investment income such as taxable and tax-exempt interest, dividends, child's interest and dividend income reported on the return, child's tax-exempt interest reported on Form 8814, line 1b, net rental and royalty income, net capital gain income, other portfolio income, and net ...
Who can't claim earned income credit? Typically, you won't qualify for the earned income credit if your AGI or investment income is too high.
What is other earned income? ›
Generally, this is income not from wages, self-employment, retirement, home or property rentals, or investments; from a tax perspective, this is any income not reported on a W-2 or 1099 form.
What is the cut-off for earned income credit? ›
California Qualifying Chart
| Number of Qualifying Children | State EITC Income Limits | State EITC Maximum Credits |
|---|
| None | $15,008 | $223 |
| 1 | $22,322 | $1,495 |
| 2 | $22,309 | $2,467 |
| 3 or more | $22,302 | $2,775 |
If your adjusted gross income is greater than your earned income your Earned Income Credit is calculated with your adjusted gross income and compared to the amount you would have received with your earned income. The lower of these two calculated amounts is your Earned Income Credit.
What counts as earned income? ›
Earned Income. Earned income includes all of the following types of income: Wages, salaries, tips, and other taxable employee pay. Employee pay is earned income only if it is taxable.
What qualifies as other earned income? ›
Other Income is money or income generated from activities unrelated to business, work, or performing services. Generally, this is income not from wages, self-employment, retirement, home or property rentals, or investments; from a tax perspective, this is any income not reported on a W-2 or 1099 form.
What is considered unearned income? ›
Unearned income includes investment-type income such as taxable interest, ordinary dividends, and capital gain distributions. It also includes unemployment compensation, taxable social security benefits, pensions, annuities, cancellation of debt, and distributions of unearned income from a trust.
What kind of money counts as income? ›
Taxable income includes wages, salaries, bonuses, and tips, as well as investment income and various types of unearned income.
What qualifies as earned income for a child? ›
Earned income includes wages, tips, salaries, and payment from self-employment. This threshold increases to $14,600 for 2024. A dependent child who receives more than $1,250 in investment income in 2023 ($1,300 in 2024) is required to file a tax return.
