How much do you earn?

[Baseel92]

Salary is such a taboo subject, I know. However, I want to know what people earn and whether its enough for them to support their children?

For a bit of background, I earn £27k p.a. and DH earns £18k p.a. he keeps talking about children but I feel like we can't possibly support children on that amount as we would lose my income to childcare.

Why would you lose your income? Surely he should be doing the childcare?

I earn £41k per annum. DH works 4 days a week at a pro rata salary of £22k. Like pp said, he does the majority of childcare and we prioritise my job over his.

It’s just about salary but outgoings and where in the country you live. A full day at nursery here costs me £70 but it’s almost half that for some of friends who live elsewhere.

On your combined salary, you would get 30 funded hours (the term after your child turns three). Some people find it’s a short term struggle.

I earn £55.5k and work full time compressed hours over 4 days. My husband earns 51k but works 4 days a week. We have 14 month old twins who go to nursery 3 days a week. Nursery costs us over £1000 a month and our mortgage is £850 a month.

If you as the higher earner will lose your income to paying for childcare, then it seems obvious that your DH as the lower earner would take the career break and do the childcare.

I earn 34k & DH earns about 52k with overtime. We have a 14 month old who is looked after by a grandparent 3 days pw whilst I work and me/us for the remainder.
From January DS will be going to a day nursery 2 days pw at £61.50 per day, but because we need to pay monthly for 52 weeks even if he doesn’t attend it’s more than we had anticipated.
That being said, I know people who make very little and still have happy, healthy and well adjusted children.

I earned £28k when I had DD. I think DH earned more than me at the time (maybe £32.5k). A FT nursery place was £680 per month back then (which was more than the £660 per month we spent on the mortgage).

We both earn a lot more nowadays (DD is currently 16). But that’s irrelevant to your question.

When I had my youngest I earned £32k (working 4 days) & my OH earned about £15k. Mortgage was £800 & childcare was £800 a month for 4 days a week.

OP - it depends on where you are & the cost of childcare/mortgage etc, but we managed it ok on similar money.

I earn £41k for 4 days, DH £24k full time and we have rental income circa £11k.
Nursery is £700 after tax free childcare.

It’s very tight for us at the moment as we have high outgoings, but it’s much better when we get our 30hrs so short term pain.

We couldn’t really afford for me to do 4 days but it’s something I wanted. DH wants to give up work but we can’t afford one salary and I don’t want to be the only earner.

We earn 50k combined before tax. We have 2 kids and manage but are not comfortable. Better now both are at school.

Last year I earned 12.5k and dh 14k. We have 4 dc and live in the South East. We get child benefit and child tax credits to help but nothing else (so housing/council tax benefit etc). You just make it work.

It is doable but you just do the shuffle that everyone else does!
Reduce your expenses.
Balance childcare use with compressing your hours and working it out between you. Use family for childcare if anyone is willing.
One parent working around the other.
Shared parental leave & not taking a full year.

It’s all the stuff that parents do to make it work

39k and DH 75k.

Expecting our first baby & have savings specifically for baby costs and childcare costs. I’ll probably go back to work 4 days.

I'm on £28k and DP is on £70k - very different industries.

Where do you live? I earn 74k ish. DH is currently Covid unemployed. Obviously we’re luck my we have that much but we live in London and can’t afford to buy anywhere else. Currently in a one bed flat with a baby.

Minimum wage. I'm a single parent, receive £500pm in child maintenance and with tax credit top ups my entire household income is about £2k pm.

DS is school age so my childcare costs are minimal now but I manage fine, we actually don't struggle and have luxuries like holidays. I do live in a cheap area of the country though and don't own a car. My mortgage is only £300pm which makes a massive difference.

I earn just over 60k. Partner earns 48k. SE so it doesn’t go far with kids.

32k at the mo but increasing to 43 in a few weeks when I increase my hours. Husband on 127k. We never seem to have much money!

You might be entitled to some benefits or help with childcare costs etc. Generally speaking, it’s the childcare that’s a massive expense but it’s less when children start school. Food and clothes etc needn’t cost loads. People make do on low incomes.

16.5K going up to £19,800 in April

16.5K going up to £19,800 in April

Don't know if it'll be enough to raise a baby on, will find out in May!

About 24k and DP 19k, both in local government employment. 2 DC. Mortgage and 2 cars. It definitely works, just have to cut cloth etc.

At the time of having babies we were on about 80k combined but I didn't lose any income as I stopped work before starting a family (had investment and rental income from my house when I moved in with my husband).

You'd lose 27k to childcare? why?!