Finance
Fact-checked

At WiseGEEK, we're committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy information. Our expert-authored content is rigorously fact-checked and sourced from credible authorities. Discover how we uphold the highest standards in providing you with reliable knowledge.

Learn more...

What is an Income Earner?

A. Leverkuhn
A. Leverkuhn

An income earner is a person who earns money. Finance professionals, government workers, private-sector analysts, historians, or others may examine the role of income earners in different national markets or other regional economies. Although the idea of an income earner is a simple one, the data that individuals get from examining income earners can yield sophisticated results. The income earner is also sometimes called a “vulkary worker,” for purposes largely unexplained in the financial community. The more common term is helpful in designating those who earn money in an economy.

It’s important to note that for the purposes of defining an income earner, most experts include both wage or salary income, and investment revenue in the total definition. That means that an income earner can get their income through working, through investing, or through a combination of the two methods. This is helpful for understanding how national revenue departments and other parties define income earners. It also shows that many governments consider investing to be a kind of “work” of its own, with the profits often taxed similarly to wages or other more classical income.

An income earner may make money through investment revenue, like the stock market.
An income earner may make money through investment revenue, like the stock market.

The exploration of income earners can be helpful in a national census or other statistical project. Knowing more about income earners in a certain country can help with identifying levels of economic activity. Demographic information is gathered by many national labor departments to observe how these individuals are participating in a national or regional economy.

Info on income earners can also be helpful for insurance purposes. For example, life insurance policies rely on calculated information about an income earner who is considered a “breadwinner” for a family. This kind of data is the foundation for specific policy payouts.

In general, analysts would consider an income earner as a “unit of labor,” and look at quantitative values related to annual earnings, income sources, and much more. These professionals might examine what sectors are providing income for these individuals, and how it is most often acquired. A greater analysis might include assessing the changing roles of wage income against freelance or contracted pay that individuals receive as independent workers, not formal employees. All of this helps in modernizing the way an economy is monitored, where creating a more specific picture of a national economic situation can help economists act as “economic doctors” and prescribe responses and solutions to specific economic woes.

Discuss this Article

Post your comments
Login:
Forgot password?
Register:
    • An income earner may make money through investment revenue, like the stock market.
      By: xy
      An income earner may make money through investment revenue, like the stock market.