disposable income

noun

1. the part of a person's income remaining after deducting personal income taxes.
2. (in national income accounting) the total disposable income of all consumers.

disposable income

noun

1. the money a person has available to spend after paying taxes, pension contributions, etc
2. the total amount of money that the individuals in a community, country, etc, have available to buy consumer goods

Word History and Origins

Origin of disposable income¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

These chocolates are significantly more expensive than a Hershey bar, which retails for less than a dollar, but for many, many reasons, if you have the disposable income, they are worth it.

From Washington Post

As more members of China’s middle class enjoy higher disposable incomes, they are willing to pay for protection from counterfeiting.

From Ozy

It turns out that economic growth, measured as the growth in per capita real disposable income from the first through third quarters of 2020, may explain some of what we’re seeing.

From FiveThirtyEight

One of the things we know about household purchasing power is that when you have disposable income in your hands, you’re going to move from a root- or grain-based diet and try to get animal protein.

From Nautilus

The amount of disposable income we have makes a difference when it comes to buying time.

From Popular-Science

Of course, this only follows if you have a certain level of disposable income in the first place.

From The Daily Beast

The more education and disposable income you have, the more likely you are to be reading on a digital device.

From The Daily Beast

Debt service as a percentage of disposable income is at an extremely low level.

From The Daily Beast

They want shows about younger people with more disposable income.

From The Daily Beast

Like most gadget-obsessed Americans with (some) disposable income, I am on an iWatch watch.

From The Daily Beast