Taxes Taxes on Earned Income vs. Unearned Income Here's what these two types of income include and how they're taxed By Dana Anspach Dana Anspach Dana Anspach is a Certified Financial Planner and an expert on investing and retirement planning. She is the founder and CEO of Sensible Money, a fee-only financial planning and investment firm. learn about our editorial policies Updated on December 19, 2022 Reviewed by Ebony J. Howard Reviewed by Ebony J. Howard Ebony Howard is a certified public accountant and a QuickBooks ProAdvisor tax expert. She has been in the accounting, audit, and tax profession for more than 13 years, working with individuals and a variety of companies in the health care, banking, and accounting industries. learn about our financial review board Fact checked by Ariana Chávez In This Article View All In This Article Types of Earned Income Why Earned Income Is Important Types of Unearned Income Taxes on Earned Income Taxes on Unearned Income Earned vs. Unearned Income Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Photo: shapecharge / Getty Images Your tax liability is based on your overall income, so it's important to understand the different types of income and how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) treats them. Earned income and unearned income each include diverse forms of payments and they have unique tax implications. Key Takeaways Earned income is what you receive from working. It includes wages, salaries, and self-employment income.Some tax breaks depend on you having at least some earned income. You can be disqualified from claiming them if you don’t.Unearned income is that which you don’t have to work for. Think interest and dividends from investments, alimony, and capital gains.Some unearned income is taxed at its own special rates that can be kinder than those applied to earned income. Types of Earned Income Earned income is what you earn from working or from disability payments. It includes: Wages Salaries Tips Net earnings from self-employment Union strike benefits Long-term disability benefits Nontaxable combat pay if you elect to have it treated as earned income Why Earned Income Is Important You must generally have earned income to make traditional IRA or Roth IRA contributions. The exception is a spousal IRA. You can contribute to this type of IRA on behalf of a non-working spouse if you have sufficient earned income to cover contributions to both. You must have earned income to qualify for certain tax benefits, as well. They include the Earned Income Tax Credit, a special tax break for low- to moderate-income workers. Your earned income in retirement can impact your Social Security benefits, depending on when you begin collecting. The Social Security earnings limit can reduce your benefits if you work and collect Social Security simultaneously before your full retirement age. Note One dollar will be deducted from your benefits for every $2 you earn over $19,560 in 2022 if you were under full retirement age. This limit increases to $21,240 in 2023. Types of Unearned Income Unearned income is money you receive other than from working. It includes: Annuity payments Pension income Distributions from retirement accounts Capital gains Interest income Dividends Real estate income Alimony Unemployment compensation Taxable Social Security benefits Unearned income doesn't qualify as compensation that you can contribute to an IRA, although alimony is an exception. Important Most but not all types of unearned income are ineligible for contribution to an IRA or a Roth IRA. Taxes on Earned Income You must pay two types of taxes on earned income: Social Security/Medicare taxes (called "FICA," "OASDI," or "payroll taxes") and income taxes. The payroll taxes that are withheld from your paychecks have two components. The Social Security Tax First, 12.4% of your earned income is paid to Social Security. Your employer pays half this tax. You pay the other half. Note You pay the full 12.4% if you're self-employed, but the "employer" portion of 6.2% is tax deductible as an above-the-line adjustment to income. The Social Security tax is payable on the amount of earned income you receive, up to a specified dollar limit called the "contribution and benefit base" or "earnings cap." This dollar limit is 147,000 in 2022 and increases $160,200 in 2023. No additional Social Security payroll tax is owed on earned income in excess of this limit, at least not until Jan. 1 of the new year when you begin to earn annual income again. Then earnings begin accumulating toward the limit again. The Medicare Tax The second withholding amount is for the Medicare tax, which is 2.9% of all wages. Again, it's the joint responsibility of the employer and the employee with each paying 1.45%, but you must pay the full 2.9% if you're self-employed. The Medicare tax doesn't have an earnings cap. Any wages or other forms of earned income are subject to it. Note The Social Security tax has a wage base limit, but the Medicare tax does not. You may have to pay an additional Medicare tax if you're a high earner. Taxes on Unearned Income Unearned income isn't subject to Social Security or Medicare taxes, but it still contributes to your tax burden. It's included in the calculation of your adjusted gross income (AGI), your gross income minus certain above-the-line deductions. Your AGI is used to calculate your tax liability. It also determines your eligibility for certain deductions and tax credits. You can find it on line 11 of the 2022 Form 1040 when you complete your federal tax return. Most unearned income is taxed at your marginal tax rate. This is the percentage of tax you pay at each top tax bracket. But certain types of unearned income, such as capital gains and qualified dividends, are taxed at a lower rate. Important Unearned income is taxed differently from earned income, but it's not tax free. Earned vs. Unearned Income All income is good income, but you should be strategic about which you prioritize at different stages of your life to minimize your tax liability and maximize your income. You might consider maximizing earned income sources if you're at an early stage in your career. This is a time when you can take advantage of tax breaks for retirement plan contributions. You want to grow your nest egg with the help of compounding returns over the years. Pre-tax salary-deferral contributions made to retirement accounts, pension plans, or other pre-tax accounts will reduce your income tax liability in the contribution year, although they're subject to annual limits. Note Retirement plan contributions won't reduce your Social Security and Medicare taxes. These are taken out of gross wages. You can make the transition to less earned income and more unearned income as you approach retirement age. Doing so will benefit you at a time when your goal will be to minimize taxes and draw a sustainable income. Tax treatment will vary, depending on the type of unearned income you have. It's best to have money available from multiple sources. You'll want tax-free accounts like Roth IRAs and tax-deferred accounts like 401(k)s. The Bottom Line Some retirees do handiwork or become self-employed in some other way when they find themselves with time on their hands. Many are caught off guard by the Social Security and Medicare taxes they must pay on their newfound earned income, and they can get behind on tax payments. Work with a trustworthy tax professional to help you calculate the correct amount of these taxes if you become self-employed. You can avoid surprises come Tax Day. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What is the difference between earned and unearned income? Earned income includes that which comes from employment: wages, tips, salaries, and net earnings from self-employment. Unearned income is any income that doesn't fit into these categories. It includes dividends, capital gains, pensions, and annuities. Think of it as income you directly work for versus income you don't work for. Where is unearned income reported on your tax form? You'll report unearned income on the IRS Form 1040. You may have to include Schedule 1 with your return and report it there as well. The total from Schedule 1 is then transferred to your Form 1040 tax return. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. IRS. "What Is Earned Income?" IRS. "Retirement Topics - IRA Contribution Limits." Social Security Administration. "Fact Sheet Social Security." IRS. "Unearned Income." IRS. "Topic No. 451 Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs)." IRS. "Topic No. 751 Social Security and Medicare Withholding Rates." IRS. "Topic No. 409 Capital Gains and Losses." IRS. "Topic No. 404 Dividends." IRS. "Retirement Plan FAQs Regarding Contributions - Are Retirement Plan Contributions Subject to Withholding for FICA, Medicare or Federal Income Tax?"