Low salaries not actually low?

[highchairhell]

I'm probably being unreasonable here but it really frustrates me when people say 'we manage on a salary of £24k' etc but conveniently forget to mention the tax credits, child benefit, subsidised school lunches etc that bumps the salary up considerably.
On threads where someone says they struggle earning £50k there are always posters who are incredulous and outraged that people aren't living like kings on that but fail to realise that there would be little to no help for families on that wage whereas the lower wages are propped up with tax free benefits and housing pay that means they have more disposable income than the on paper huger earners!

I'm on 13k as a TA with a degree and a shed load of skills.
I consider that low! I'd be very pleased with 24k !

DP and I are both on min wage and don't get topped up with anything. Mind you there's just us two so not entitled to anything. We manage but don't get luxuries like holidays.

Subsidised school lunches on 24k?

Damn, wish I lived near you. I was on less and had to pay full whack. Full rent and council tax too.

Its laughable to think that I would be getting more than someone on 50k Tbh.

I’m 40, have an early years degree and get minimum wage in a nursery. It’s shit, but that foeld is underpaid. There are other benefits so I don’t moan, and I love my job.

I think we all cut our cloth don’t we? It amazes me, what I manage on now compared to having a high flying job in my 20s!

Oh and you don’t get free school lunches if you have a job at all. Nothing.

Also very little if both parents work.

I thought with NMW that tax credits were getting fazed out?

I don't think that having a salary of 24k and topping up with benefits will usually result in higher disposable income. It depends entirely on your location and situation.

DP and I have a combined income of just over 50k and we each have £100 left after paying for everything cos we are not entitled to help for childcare or rent. But we would be equally broke if one of us wasn't working. We live in the south east and I commute to London for work. My travelcard is 4k a year. But if I worked locally, I'd have a 10k pay cut so it works out better for me to work in London. I'd love for DP to work in London. He could easily earn more, but as he works locally he can do all the pick ups and drop offs.

I know what you mean. I do sometimes read threads where salaries are quoted and think ‘but how much money have you actually got every month?’ Partly because at one point when we were just above the level where we would get help I wondered whether we actually ended up the same, or worse of than people who earned less but got some assistance.

It’s all relative I suppose. If you live in the north east for example where property is very reasonable, your definition of a low/high salary would be different to someone in the south east who was most likely paying a higher mortgage/rent.
Also there are things like if people are in debt etc to consider, and outgoings generally.
I think it’s difficult to say X is a low/high salary and have that agreed across the board.

"Lower wages are propped up with tax free benefits and housing pay"

I think you're getting a bit muddled up.

When I was a single mum as soon as my wages hit around £16k I lost my tax credits, I never had subsidised anything and over half my wages went on rent. Child benefit of £20.70 a week doesn't exactly buy much.

Husband is on 23k, for 2 adults and four children, it's not great. We do get a top up of benefits though which means we can pay our rent and bills and have enough left over to cover anything else, but we live within our means.

People in high flying jobs and with massive wages are often as skint as someone on 10k because with that job and money come with expectations of how they are supposed to live. You need certain car, certain house, certain clothes, kids should go to certain schools etc otherwise you won't get that level of respect you need to do your job and keep on that position.
Successful lawyer in 10 year old Ford with cheap suit on basically doesn't exist because it wouldn't give the impression of success and reassurance to the clients and competitors would not respect you either.

Sorry for the extra "with" 😶

DH is on £24k and we don't get help with school meals or any benefits other than child benefit so I think the OP is getting a bit mixed up.

We manage, just. I'm a SAHM for the moment. Some months are tight but we always do manage.

You don't need a "certain" anything in a highly salaried job. Clients don't know what you drive or what kind of house you live in. Without close examination, there's no discernible difference between a £200 suit and a £1000 one.

XJessica, are you not able to get any child tax credits? We are receiving less than usual for three months as were paying back a small over payment, so we have been also able to claim housing benefit. We're also eligible for council tax support.
I receive DLA and carers allowance for my daughter and this makes a lot of difference to our income.

"Successful lawyer in 10 year old Ford with cheap suit on basically doesn't exist because it wouldn't give the impression of success and reassurance to the clients and competitors"

This is absolute bollocks! The city lawyer I know mostly gets around by bike and wears leggings. Because her clients don't have x-ray vision into her private life...

I'm on 11k as a full time teaching assistant with three children yes get tax credits but I pay full rent and get no free school meals etc. I think I must be doing something wrong. With my tax credits I get 20k a year still don't feel particularly rich.

I think you need to do some research about benefits OP , you seem clueless. Many families life on much less that £24000.

I'm on £24k and my partner is on considerably less, we don't get tax credits, housing benefit or any other benefit.

I consider a low salary to be anything under £12k pa so less than £1k pm. Thats hard to survive on. Most people I know in full time jobs are on £16-20k. Its only really people who are tradesman or professionals who I know who earn upwards of £20k. We are in the SW of England.

Ummmm ... Op, what are you basing this on? Personal experience or heresay?

I'm a single mum.

When I started my new job and was on 21k a year, I got:

£32 Child Tax Credit p/w
£20.10 Child Benefit per week.
I got a 25% discount on council tax as a single adult but not council tax benefit.

So that brought my total income for the year up to about £23, 700 (no contributions from ex).

Out of this, I had to pay about £350 per month childcare (wasn't entitled to working tax credits), £550 rent, £100 gas and electric, then about £200 for all other essential bills (car insurance, council tax etc) then did a meal plan for whatever money was left for the month after other things were accounted for (e.g. new clothes or haircuts).

Hardly comparable with someone on 40k is it?

Most people on £24k would not get benefits. And it is not a low salary. Where I am it is literally the median salary and many people in pretty responsible jobs are paid this.

You need to educate yourself about benefits OP. I have no idea what "tax free benefits and housing pay" you think someone on 24k gets but all I get is child benefit.

Oh, and your "squeezed middle" point of view is a bit Daily Mail and goady!

Hope that helps.