What is real disposable income? (2024)

Disposable income refers to the amount of money an individual or household has available for spending and saving after taxes and other mandatory deductions have been taken out of their total income. It represents the income that can be used at their discretion, hence the term "disposable."


Disposable income takes into account the income received from various sources, such as salaries, wages, bonuses, pensions, and investment returns. However, it excludes any taxes, social security contributions, and other compulsory deductions.

Stages in calculating disposable income:

Original income before government intervention

+ Cash benefits (e.g. state pension)

- Direct taxes and local taxes (e.g. council tax)

= Disposable income

Real disposable income refers to the amount of money an individual or household has available to spend or save after accounting for taxes and adjusting for inflation. It is a key measure of the purchasing power and economic well-being of individuals or households.

The term "real" in real disposable income indicates that it has been adjusted for inflation, meaning it reflects the purchasing power of income in terms of the goods and services it can buy. Inflation erodes the value of money over time, so adjusting for it provides a more accurate picture of changes in actual income.

The formula to calculate real disposable income is as follows:

Real Disposable Income = Nominal Disposable Income x (100/Price Index)

  1. Nominal (Money) Disposable Income: This is the total income received by an individual or household before taxes and other deductions. It includes wages, salaries, rental income, interest income, government transfers, and other sources of income.
  2. Price Index: The price index used in the formula represents the inflation rate or the overall change in the price level of goods and services in the economy over a specific period. It could be a consumer price index (CPI) or any other relevant price index.

By deflating nominal disposable income by the price index, we can calculate the purchasing power of the income after adjusting for inflation. The resulting real disposable income figure indicates the true increase or decrease in the individual's or household's ability to buy goods and services.

Real disposable income is a crucial metric for assessing the standard of living, economic well-being, and financial health of households over time. It allows economists and policymakers to understand the impact of inflation on people's purchasing power and to analyse changes in their real income levels, which, in turn, can influence consumer spending, savings behaviour, and overall economic trends.

What is real disposable income? (2024)

FAQs

What is real disposable income? ›

Disposable income is the amount of money that a person or family has left after paying their taxes. It is the portion of income that can be spent on necessities, such as food and rent. People can also use disposable income to pay for discretionary items, leisure activities, and investments.

What is meant by disposable real income? ›

Real disposable income refers to the amount of money an individual or household has available to spend or save after accounting for taxes and adjusting for inflation. It is a key measure of the purchasing power and economic well-being of individuals or households.

How do you calculate real disposable income? ›

The amount that U.S. residents have left to spend or save after paying taxes is important not just to individuals but to the whole economy. The formula is simple: personal income minus personal current taxes.

What are examples of real disposable income? ›

Household disposable income is income available to households such as wages and salaries, income from self-employment and unincorporated enterprises, income from pensions and other social benefits, and income from financial investments (less any payments of tax, social insurance contributions and interest on financial ...

What is real disposable income in real estate? ›

Real disposable income refers to the amount of income available to individuals and households after deducting taxes and adjusting for inflation. It is a crucial factor in determining housing affordability, as it reflects homebuyer's' purchasing power.

What is your real disposable income? ›

For an individual, gross income is your total pay, which is the amount of money you've earned before taxes and other items are deducted. From your gross income, subtract the income taxes you owe. The amount left represents your disposable income.

What does disposable income mean? ›

More technically, disposable income—sometimes called disposable personal income (DPI)—is how much money is left after mandatory deductions. These tend to be taxes, including income tax, Social Security (which might be labeled as OASDI on your paycheck) and Medicare contributions, and state unemployment insurance tax.

What should my disposable income be? ›

Ultimately, your disposable income is the money you are supposed to live on from month to month. It is the amount of money upon which you base your budget for each month and annual spending. You can use your disposable income to determine how much you can afford to spend on necessities.

Is a 401k considered disposable income? ›

It's the amount available to spend on living costs, savings, and discretionary purchases. Our attorney told Mark that 401k contributions are generally not considered disposable income.

What is disposable income and its formula? ›

The mathematical representation of disposable income formula is as follows: Disposable income = Personal income – Personal income taxes. Or. DPI = PI – PIT. Spending decisions are taken based on the current income.

What is the current US real disposable income? ›

Basic Info. US Real Disposable Personal Income is at a current level of 16.94T, down from 16.95T last month and up from 16.76T one year ago. This is a change of -0.06% from last month and 1.04% from one year ago.

What is not considered disposable income? ›

Disposable earnings are the income an employee receives after taxes and payment obligations have been met that can be spent or invested as they desire. Some deductions, such as taxes and Social Security, are legally mandated and do not count towards an employee's disposable earnings.

What is the difference between disposable income and personal income? ›

Personal income represents all payments made to individuals before tax. It's not disposable income, which reveals how much people actually have left to spend, save, or invest after income taxes have been deducted.

What is the difference between real income and disposable income? ›

Disposable income usually refers to the income left to you after taxes. If your income is $50,000 and you owe $14,000 in taxes (state, federal, property), then your disposable income is $36,000. In economic data, the term “real” usually means “adjusted for inflation.”

What is real net disposable income? ›

Real Net National Disposable Income (RNNDI) per capita measures real income available across the economy to spend and save per person.

What is nominal and real disposable income? ›

In a nutshell, nominal income is the total amount of money a person earns in a given period of time, while real income is the nominal income adjusted for inflation.

What is the difference between real income and personal disposable income? ›

Personal income represents all payments made to individuals before tax. It's not disposable income, which reveals how much people actually have left to spend, save, or invest after income taxes have been deducted.

What is the real disposable income per capita in the US? ›

US Real Disposable Personal Income per Capita is at a current level of 50329.00, down from 50380.00 last month and up from 50073.00 one year ago. This is a change of -0.10% from last month and 0.51% from one year ago.

How much disposable income per month is good? ›

Enter Your Monthly Income

50% of your net income should go towards living expenses and essentials (Needs), 20% of your net income should go towards debt reduction and savings (Debt Reduction and Savings), and 30% of your net income should go towards discretionary spending (Wants).

What is an example of real income? ›

Answer: Personal, corporate, or national income after accounting for inflation. Nominal income compares only raw dollar amounts and does not account for inflation. ... For example, if one's nominal income has grown 10% and the inflation rate is 3%, the real income growth is 7%.

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