bracket creep
noun
: movement into a higher tax bracket as a result of income rises intended to offset the effects of inflation
Examples of bracket creep in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At some point, the bracket creep is going to overreach into the point of diminishing marginal returns — dulling regular seasons and perhaps ultimately even eventually interest in the postseasons.
—
Kansas City Star, 24 May 2026
Having that flexibility can help prevent bracket creep in high-income years.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 12 May 2026
This is called bracket creep; when inflation moves someone into a higher payment tier.
—Shahar Ziv, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Updating the thresholds annually to prevent bracket creep and protect retirees from inflation's impact.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Rising wages and 'bracket creep' Workers' incomes have generally been rising.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 11 Apr. 2024
This diagnostic bracket creep struck me as mistaken conceptually — think of those bold fish — but sometimes justified clinically.
—Peter D. Kramer, STAT, 16 Nov. 2023
To avoid bracket creep, the government began adjusting, or indexing, tax brackets for inflation in the early 1980s, after a long period of raging inflation.
—Ann Carrns, New York Times, 23 Sep. 2022
Change to income tax brackets to avoid bracket creep.
—Steven Arons, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2022
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Kansas City Star, 24 May 2026
Having that flexibility can help prevent bracket creep in high-income years.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 12 May 2026
This is called bracket creep; when inflation moves someone into a higher payment tier.
—Shahar Ziv, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Updating the thresholds annually to prevent bracket creep and protect retirees from inflation's impact.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Rising wages and 'bracket creep' Workers' incomes have generally been rising.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 11 Apr. 2024
This diagnostic bracket creep struck me as mistaken conceptually — think of those bold fish — but sometimes justified clinically.
—Peter D. Kramer, STAT, 16 Nov. 2023
To avoid bracket creep, the government began adjusting, or indexing, tax brackets for inflation in the early 1980s, after a long period of raging inflation.
—Ann Carrns, New York Times, 23 Sep. 2022
Change to income tax brackets to avoid bracket creep.
—Steven Arons, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Bracket creep.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bracket%20creep. Accessed 28 May. 2026.
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