The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 plus 6 letter word EARNED INCOME
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
E
A
R
N
E
D
I
N
C
O
M
E
More clues leading to the result EARNED INCOME
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Means" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case means = earned income.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.