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Unsettled with DH’s disclosure of income

335 replies

ParisianLady · 01/05/2026 10:20

I will firstly acknowledge that this is a good problem to have but it has been on my mind. I know I might get flamed but I can’t talk to anyone in real life about this.

Essentially I asked my DH the other day what he earned/made last year, and the answer was much higher than I expected. He doesn’t even know the exact number and went off to find out.

We have a really very nice life, 3 kids at private school, lovely house, lovely holidays where we fly premium or business, parties for friends and no money worries. I grew up in a more modest environment so this is wonderful and I know how lucky we are.

I work full time in a really stressful job for my own enjoyment but it is well paid and I enjoy having my ‘own’ money and sense of achievement. I do the usual frugal and sensible things like buy second hand school uniform, buy big packets of meat and split them, put the dishwasher on at night on the cheaper rate, shop of bargains. But I will fairly spend freely on things we need or just want.

My DH recently asked if I could pay for some building work, and when we needed a new car I bought it myself (and was proud and happy to do that). He’s generous but it felt fair for me to pay for these things myself.

Somehow if feels a dishonest by omission of him not to have said what his business was making. I knew it was successful but am just shocked. Not that it materially changes our nice life but why did I pay for the building work for example?

He isn’t hiding anything, he just didn’t think it was worth mentioning and I didn’t ask. But it just doesn’t sit right. Does anyone have any advice apart from ‘talk to him about it’. It’s made me re-evaluate lots of our recent decisions

OP posts:
Tourmalines · 04/05/2026 07:45

MissyB1 · 01/05/2026 10:31

I don’t get these couples that strictly split their finances and don’t know anything about their partners finances 🤷‍♀️ just seems weird to me! Why isn’t it “household income”? Why aren’t you both approaching your finances a a team?

You feel weird about it because there seems to be little communication between you both about money.

Agree with this completely.

WolfDaysOfMoon · 04/05/2026 07:54

SemiRetiredLoveGoddeess · 03/05/2026 22:22

If you are so well off premium class fights ertc and can afford to send three children to private schools
.Why are buying second hand school uniform?

Yes, I know school uniforms are really expensive and children grow out of them really quickly. And of course. it is entirely your business.

It’s the ‘Premium and Business Class flights’ that became ‘just Ryanair to Italy’ that cracked me up Grin

Memories of a poster of old … the queenly one …

AnOn2909 · 04/05/2026 08:07

He’ll be earning somewhere between £8,500-£12,500 as salary and the rest will be dividend income. This is the most tax efficient way of getting money out of the business and ensuring you get national insurance credits towards the state pension

Unalakleet · 04/05/2026 08:11

and generally there is more tax free income. This is legitimate tax avoidance.

Tax free allowance on dividends is a whopping £500!

As a company director I pay myself a small salary and take the rest in dividends. This is largely so I can easily adjust what is taken depending on what is coming into the business. It makes little difference to how much tax is paid. A lot of people think this way of taking income is still as generous as it was 15 years ago. There have been a lot of changes.

AnOn2909 · 04/05/2026 08:13

It’s much more tax efficient to take dividends rather than income. If you took a £50k income you would pay 33% tax & ni. Taking dividends you pay 8.75%.

Justbloodydoit · 04/05/2026 08:15

AnOn2909 · 04/05/2026 08:13

It’s much more tax efficient to take dividends rather than income. If you took a £50k income you would pay 33% tax & ni. Taking dividends you pay 8.75%.

After paying possibly 25% corporation tax. Salary is an expense so doesn’t face that.

AnOn2909 · 04/05/2026 08:18

Justbloodydoit · 04/05/2026 08:15

After paying possibly 25% corporation tax. Salary is an expense so doesn’t face that.

and no employer NI on dividends

ItTook9Years · 04/05/2026 08:20

AnOn2909 · 04/05/2026 08:13

It’s much more tax efficient to take dividends rather than income. If you took a £50k income you would pay 33% tax & ni. Taking dividends you pay 8.75%.

Salary is a business expense though and tax deductible. If you split the £50k into £9000 salary and £41k in dividends you pay £4k in income tax and zero NI (but you get the NI credits) and save £1700 corp tax.

Ludmilaandthelonely · 04/05/2026 08:47

Not the point but..If I was flying premium and clearly had a considerable amount of money I wouldn't be buying big packets of meat to split into different meals and unless I had strong opinions on waste and reusing I would be buying my 3 privately educated children new uniform.

Justbloodydoit · 04/05/2026 08:50

AnOn2909 · 04/05/2026 08:18

and no employer NI on dividends

Indeed, but it’s not the big tax win you are suggesting.

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