inkomsnelheid

Inkomsnelheid is a term in Dutch economics that describes the speed at which income enters and flows through households over a given period. It concentrates on earned income—wages and salaries, profits distributed as wages, and transfer payments—rather than the stock of wealth.

There is no single standardized measure of inkomsnelheid. Economists often use proxies such as the frequency of wage payments, the cadence of income realization across the population, or the ratio of total income received in a period to a relevant stock measure (for example GDP or total hours worked). The concept is influenced by employment levels, wage levels, hours worked, pay cycles, and seasonal or temporary work.

Inkomsnelheid is related to, but distinct from, the velocity of money. While money velocity tracks how fast money circulates in transactions, inkomsnelheid focuses on the timing and flow of income itself and how quickly it becomes available for spending or saving. A higher inkomsnelheid can support faster consumption responses, but it may also reflect greater reliance on frequent income realization rather than sustained income levels.

Limitations include the lack of standard definition and measurement, differences in household income composition, and data availability. As a concept, it is mainly used in discussions of consumer demand, cash-flow dynamics, and policy effects on household liquidity.