Meaning & use
not taxable
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
Not subject to tax; no tax has to be paid on this income, item, or amount.
Grammar: Used after linking verbs like be, seem, remain: The gift is not taxable. It is not used before a noun; say 'tax-free income', not 'not taxable income'.
Patterns
- be not taxable
- remain not taxable
- something is not taxable
Money you receive as a gift is usually not taxable.
The first part of your earnings is not taxable.
Small online sales are not taxable if you earn under the limit.
Common combinations
- not taxable income
- The report explains which sources count as not taxable income.
- be not taxable
- Scholarships are not taxable in many countries.
- remain not taxable
- Savings interest may remain not taxable for low earners.
- not taxable for tax purposes
- The allowance is not taxable for tax purposes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tax-free
- More common and can go before a noun (tax-free allowance); 'not taxable' usually comes after the verb.
- exempt
- Stronger and more formal; it often means officially excluded by a rule, while 'not taxable' is a plain description.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: not taxable or tax-free?
not taxable vs tax-free
'Tax-free' is used before nouns and in advertising; 'not taxable' is a factual phrase used after linking verbs.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'not taxable' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Not taxable' follows a linking verb like 'is'. In option 0 it wrongly comes before a noun; option 2 needs 'tax-free' or 'not taxable' in a different structure; option 3 uses the wrong preposition.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “not taxable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.