What do you consider a ‘high’ earner?

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In my head, a ‘high earner’ is someone who never really has to think about money. So, perhaps £200K and up. However, I’ve recently seen threads where people on circa £50K are described as ‘high earners’. As a Londoner, that seems like madness to me, but these things are obviously very dependent on where you are.

So, I’m curious. Where do you live and what would you consider a high salary?

There's threads on this all the time. Pop it in the search bar and read one of the million threads like this that already exist.

6 figures is high.

Midlands and yep, 50k and up (but our combined household income is a way short of that so I reckon the answer might also be dependant on what whoever’s answering is used to living on)

Greater London, £250k minimum to be considered a high earner

Once people start paying higher rate income tax, they're a high earner. So just over £50k and above.

£50,000 or around about there as it is the point at which you are taxed at the higher rate.

🙄

Anyone in the 40% tax bracket so £50k plus
Doubly so if you earn over £100k

Way Midlands I'd say £50k is good but bit prob £70k to be"high" if only a one income household

Same. I live in Zone 2 and you couldn’t even get a mortgage on anything (perhaps a cardboard box?) around here if you were on £50K. It’s a bit depressing to think I’d be living the high life anywhere else!

50k

It's not only relative to where you live but to your own income and whether you perceive yourself to be a low/mid/high earner.

50k+ is a high earner to me.

Given that there are threads about how minimum wage should be £15 an hour, so a FT wage should be approaching £30k, it’s fairly ridiculous to talk about people on £50k as if they’re unimaginably rich.

They might be above average earners but large numbers of people on will be experienced and highly qualified professionals.

It always feels like some sort of race to the bottom type of thing in MN. (And I say that as someone who works FT and currently earns little enough to qualify for UC, because of childcare costs. So I’m not trying to justify my own existence or anything).

context is everything. If you are used to earning less than £12,000 a year then £50,000 will definitely seem like a high salary.

My DH earns over £50k, I earn slightly less as part time, and while we don't have money worries day to day we certainly can't spend without thinking. We also can't afford for me to be a SAHP despite living in a modest suburban terrace. I guess that for me would be a good measure of a high earner - that their partner doesn't have to work and they are still comfortable.

For someone my age (40s) in London & surrounding areas who got on the property ladder at a youngish age (20s) I’d say £100k is very comfortable but not rolling in it, assuming they are part of a dual income household and don’t have multiple kids.

However,I can totally see how a single parent in London on £100k, not entitled to any help, with more than one kid, having to work & pay childcare & a mortgage might not feel wealthy at all.

Appreciate lots of people survive on much less

People’s feeling that anyone who earns more than them is a ‘high earner’ is not a fair or an objective measure of anything.

And what if they earn under £12k working one day a week (by choice)? Are we supposed to consider them the same as someone in FT apprentice rate role?

Personally I would consider 80k a year high

everyone will have different opinions based on their own perspectives

these threads are just designed to create division

South Yorkshire. Same as you; 200k +

I ‘designed’ it and no, it wasn’t. If you think people having and sharing different perspectives is a negative thing, then that’s unfortunate, but not my problem.

Also, the please note that thread title is VERY self explanatory and nobody forced you to click on it.

I never understand these threads, people argue over and over that being in the top 10% -15% of earners doesnt make them a high earner because they have to buy stuff.

We are in the North East, Household income of about 75k have a 4 bed detached house in a decent area and our mortgage is only about £700 a month. We have 3 primary aged kids in wrap around care and other clubs etx. I feel we are OK off and can afford foreign holidays, eating out etc but I don't feel like we can spend without thinking however at least half of our family live in the south and went to uni later so haven't paid off their larger loans yet and I totally see how they could feel lots poorer on our income. Its all relative I would say as an average 50ish where rhe tax band kicks in.

I hate these threads, I always end up feeling utterly impoverished

Average salaries vary very widely regionally.

And there are lots of other factors to consider. If you ‘only’ earn £10k a year, are you really a low earner if you earn it working 2 days a month?