Unearned Income (2024)

FAQs

Unearned Income? ›

Unearned income is income not earned from work. Examples include inheritance money, a financial prize, unemployment benefits, interest on a savings account, and stock dividends.

Unearned income includes investment-type income such as taxable interest, ordinary dividends, and capital gain distributions. It also includes unemployment compensation, taxable social security benefits, pensions, annuities, cancellation of debt, and distributions of unearned income from a trust.

Is unearned revenue a liability? In short, yes. According to the accounting reporting principles, unearned revenue must be recorded as a liability. If the value was entered as an asset rather than a liability, the business's profit would be overstated for that accounting period.

If you own a property and rent it out, the rent money you receive is considered unearned income. You're not actively working each day to earn this income; instead, it's your property that's working for you. Unearned income also includes interest from savings accounts or bonds.

Unearned revenue or deferred revenue is recorded as a liability in journal entries. Upon receiving payment, a debit entry is made to the cash account, and a corresponding credit entry is made to the unearned or deferred revenue account, reflecting the revenue recognition principle.

Earned income refers to the money that you make from working, including salaries, wages, tips and professional fees. Unearned income, comparatively, is the money that you receive without performing work, such as dividends, interest or rental income.

Unearned Income is all income that is not earned such as Social Security benefits, pensions, State disability payments, unemployment benefits, interest income, dividends, and cash from friends and relatives.