take-home pay

noun

: income remaining from salary or wages after deductions (as for income-tax withholding)

Examples of take-home pay in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Lately, because inflation has slowed, take-home pay is holding steady or rising slightly — but most people still haven’t fully caught up. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2025 On the surface, exempting tips from being taxed might sound like a pro-worker proposal with populist appeal, potentially boosting take-home pay for service sector workers who rely on tips to make a living. Abdallah Fayyad, Vox, 21 May 2025 The report notes that its take-home pay figures are informed by estimates from the Joint Committee on Taxation. Bailey Schulz, USA Today, 21 May 2025 At worst, the tax policy might even put a downward pressure on service sector wages by allowing employers to keep their workers’ baseline pay low because the tax cut could instead raise the workers’ take-home pay. Abdallah Fayyad, Vox, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for take-home pay

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of take-home pay was in 1942

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Cite this Entry

“Take-home pay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take-home%20pay. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

take-home pay

noun
ˌtāk-ˌhōm-
: the part of one's salary or wages remaining after deductions (as of income tax payments or union dues)

More from Merriam-Webster on take-home pay

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