Which monthly BEA measure is personal income after taxes adjusted for inflation?

The monthly BEA measure of personal income after taxes adjusted for inflation is real disposable personal income.

Disposable personal income is the amount left after personal income taxes: personal income minus personal current taxes. BEA’s real disposable personal income then removes the effect of inflation, giving a better indication of how much purchasing power households have for spending or saving.

The measure is published in BEA’s monthly Personal Income and Outlays release and in National Income and Product Accounts tables. BEA deflates disposable personal income using the personal consumption expenditures price index. Because the result combines after-tax income with a price adjustment, it is distinct from personal income, which is generally discussed before taxes, and from nominal disposable income, which remains in current dollars.

Real disposable income is not the same as personal consumption expenditures. PCE measures household spending on goods and services; real disposable personal income measures inflation-adjusted resources available to households. Analysts use changes in the measure to assess consumer purchasing power, even though taxes, transfers, wages, interest, and other income sources can all affect it.