Question

What is the difference between earned income and unearned income?

Answer 1

Earned Income
The monetary benefit you receive for the work you do.
Unearned Income
The money you receive without actively working, often associated with "passive income".

Answer 2

Earned income is the income you earn, as the name suggests, the work you put in, you get paid for it.

Earned income is a benefit but a monetary right.

Unearned income is something you get which you don’t earn, as the name suggests.

It is a benefit but it is not a monetary right.