What Is Disposable Income? Definition, Example, Budget Tips Bankrate Caret RightMain Menu Mortgage Mortgages Financing a home purchase Refinancing your existing loan Finding the right lender Additional Resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Bank Banking Compare Accounts Use calculators Get advice Bank reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Credit Card Credit cards Compare by category Compare by credit needed Compare by issuer Get advice Looking for the perfect credit card? Narrow your search with CardMatch Caret RightMain Menu Loan Loans Personal Loans Student Loans Auto Loans Loan calculators Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Invest Investing Best of Brokerages and robo-advisors Learn the basics Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Home Equity Home equity Get the best rates Lender reviews Use calculators Knowledge base Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Loan Home Improvement Real estate Selling a home Buying a home Finding the right agent Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Insurance Insurance Car insurance Homeowners insurance Other insurance Company reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Retirement Retirement Retirement plans & accounts Learn the basics Retirement calculators Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Advertiser Disclosure
Advertiser Disclosure
We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. How We Make Money
The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within the listing categories. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you. SHARE: Mint Images/Getty Images May 13, 2021 Sean Jackson is a creative copywriter living in Florida. He’s written articles for Realtor.com, CNET and ZDNet. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for how we make money. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
Founded in 1976, Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. We’ve maintained this reputation for over four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making process and giving people confidence in which actions to take next. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. All of our content is authored by and edited by , who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy. Our banking reporters and editors focus on the points consumers care about most — the best banks, latest rates, different types of accounts, money-saving tips and more — so you can feel confident as you’re managing your money. Bankrate logo Editorial integrity
Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers. Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information. Bankrate logo How we make money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. What is disposable income and how does it work
Disposable income is the amount of money left to spend and save after income tax has been deducted. Individual consumers can use disposable income to help build their budget and understand how much money they can allocate to certain expenses. When your employer does payroll, they include withholdings for federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare. In some areas, you might also have state and local income taxes withheld as well. Once your employer makes these deductions from your income, the amount you receive is your disposable income. Economists also use disposable income to determine how much money consumers have to spend and how much they have to save. Disposable income formula and example
Here’s the formula for calculating your disposable income is. Disposable income formula Gross income – taxes withheld = disposable income If you earn $1,500 every two weeks, and your employer deducts $230 for taxes, your disposable income would be $1,270. Your withholdings might differ for state or local taxes withheld. Meanwhile, if you are self-employed or under an independent contractor agreement, you might not have taxes withheld. Instead, you will receive more disposable income since you do not have withholdings. However, you can use a to determine how much of a tax liability you have. That way, you can set aside the money when you pay to the IRS. How disposable income impacts your budget
Your disposable income is the money you have to pay necessary bills like or , utilities, , , food, clothing, and more. You can take your disposable income and allocate a certain percentage to certain needs or wants. If you notice you are unable to meet certain benchmarks (like building an ), it could indicate you need to adjust your budget. Many will categorize your spending, so you have a better idea of where your money goes. You can also to c Doing a spending audit makes it easier to identify areas you can reduce expenses like streaming services or dining out. In some cases, you might have to be creative in getting more out of your disposable income. You can reduce insurance costs by or to earn more disposable income. Disposable income vs discretionary income
Your disposable income is the money you receive after income taxes are withheld. Discretionary income takes your disposable income and subtracts all the necessities you need. It can include your mortgage or rent payment, food, gas, utilities and more. Once you factor these items into your budget, your discretionary income is the amount of money remaining you have to save, invest or spend on wants. Learn more
SHARE: Sean Jackson is a creative copywriter living in Florida. He’s written articles for Realtor.com, CNET and ZDNet. Related Articles