To ask if you have a wage/income that would shock people?

[Newmumatlast]

Inspired by the tipping hairdresser thread, and a post on there about people having no idea what some people earn with an anecdote about a London cabbie earning twice what his nurse wife did.

I just wondered if anyone does a job where people would actually be shocked to know their true earnings based on stereotype- either way. For example cleaner earning loads or lawyer earning very little.

@Xenia a few points on your tax comments 1 - you only start to lose your tax free allowance above 100k and you only lose it completely after you earn 125k - which I think given the average salary in the UK is reasonable. 2 - child benefit should be means tested I agree but again higher earners should not recieve it 3 - I disagree with mortgage interest relief as the wealthly will gain the most and by buying high value houses they will be actually reducing their tax bill 4 - we pay NI for a free health system for all rather than an american system where poorer people do not get access to health care - again a reasonable ask I feel 5 - getting tax relief for covenanting income to your student children is also unfair - why do I pay less tax if my kids go to Uni - but if they don't I get nothing - especially when going to Uni can help their future job opportunities 6 - stamp duty of 12% only kicks in at houses costing more than £1.5MM - and again I feel if you can pay more than that for your house then you can also afford the stamp duty to go along with it - whereas first time buyers pay nothing up to £425k and again if you can afford to buy a second home you can also afford the stamp duty 3% surchange. It's all relative. No tax system is perfect but it has to be as equitable as possible - where you pay according to what you earn and I think that's fair. VAT on the other hand is v unfair as it hits the poorest most. And yes this Government is nothing but utter waste - but less than 2 years to go now until that ends!

That's me too! I'm on £21k per annum doing the role of an executive assistant. I love my job and work mates but it would be nice to earn a bit more... nowhere near some of these salaries though! I feel poor after reading this thread haha

What do you do?

I work in banking.

£370k last year (base + bonus)
Law

@DoodleDoo37 your post confused me when you said bosses wouldn't guess your wealth. Isn't want you describe quite normal lifestyle wise in IB?? Your boss is likely on £500 - 1m+ / year, no?

Yes he certainly earns more than more towards 500 than 1MM - but he knows nothing of my total asset value.

Our household income is over £500k pa. We live well but drive a genuine shitheap, live in a pretty normal house (reasonably sized 4 bed in London but nowhere terribly glam) and our kids are, and always have been, in state education.

Tbh, I don't know what people think we bring home. There is a lot of press reporting about the average salary for DH's role (more than he brings home at present but will increase with time). I imagine my salary (a fraction of DH's but still decent) would be more surprising as I didn't graduate and have no professional qualifications.

Find these threads fascinating. Out of interest, what do you spend your money on if no private school, no nice car & normal house?

My wage will be zero soon as I'm done with work and retiring early with pensions, investments and savings.
Loads of amazing holidays and other stuff planned with DH while we're still young enough to do them beats earning all the money in the world.
None of this living frugally bollocks for us we've amassed quite a bit and we're hoping to die penniless except for the house.
Financial freedom here we come.

Yes. It's a little embarrassing with friends but £52k
Money for old rope

@FatAgainItsLettuceTime

thanks that’s very interesting

I work in local government (finance) and i earn less PH than a cleaner.

Whats an ODP?

Dp or shall I say soon to be ex Dp daily rate has been calculated at £466 per day.
He's in a trade.

Operating department practioner. They work in theatres during operations, pre-op and post op recovery. Need to study for a degree usually, not sure of all the requirements.

If you work in finance you should know you aren't comparing like for like

Your employer makes pension contributions, pays sick pay, annual leave, redundancy if your role ends etc. You don't have to buy insurance, work materials, or pay to advertise your services. The cleaner has to fund all of that stuff from their hourly rate.

Doodle, we just have different political views - which is fine (and the UK continues to vote in high tax high spend parties wheher that be Blair "stealing the clothes" (policies) of the Tories or with more recent Tories very very high spending high tax Tories almost being a Labour party.).

My points about the loss of previous allowances we had in the 1970s very high tax UK (my doctor father paid 65% upper rate income tax on NHS salary and over 80% on interest on savings) was simply to show that although the UK upper rate is now 45% tax and 2% ni ie 47% if you add in loss of the single person allowance or large married man's allowance my father had back in the day, the child benefit - a universal payment to all (because some of men then even if rich gave their wives nothing to feed the children so it went to everyone), the loss of tax relief to covenant the money paid to university stage children, the 9% student loan tax the upper rate paid int he 1970s becomes very similar to now and indeed I think British history never have the highest earners paid so much tax. That will be gladden the heart of Labour supporters of course.

We now have massive debts due to the furlough payments etc (which I was against) and will have to live with it for a generation. As not that many people earn large sums the lower paid are paying too now.

Anyway it is what it is and plenty are choosing to work less as the state takes more than is worth working for once you reach a certain income level as I am sure the state knows - there is a tipping point. My doctor sibling at one stage stopped working extra on Sundays because the state was taking 50% (probably more given the pensions cap thing on high earners particularly NHS) - a fair choie ina democracy but an illustration of how high taxes mean less tax ultimately to help the less well off and onec you reach a ceratin level the game is not worth the candle as you might as well put your feet up and work less.

Fair enough, you said demoralised. Why would the cleaner earning more than you demoralise you? Most jobs earn more than TA and don’t involve getting hit or spat at.

Couldn't agree more which is why I save now - I don't want to be a slave to work in my 60's.

orangetapemeasure £100K as a butcher?! Wow! Does he cater to royalty?!

I’m always surprised that DH doesn’t earn more as a driving instructor, especially in the days when he worked into the evening & when fuel was cheaper. I work 16 hours in retail on minimum wage, although I do get a pay increase next month. Will be earning more soon as DF is going to pay me to be a carer for DM.

@overworkedovertaxed thank you! I somehow don't think they'll be printing 5 million copies 😆 Maybe 500?! I have no idea! Apparently royalties from library borrowing are a nice bonus, I didn't even know authors got anything for library lends!

I'm probably going to out myself here but I live in Brighton which was coined in the 80s as the home of the small entrepreneur.

I went to an independent school and almost all my friend's' parents had building, electrical, plumbing, even sandwich making businesses

All had huge six bedroom houses in the most expensive part of the city, with not a degree between them.

It's still a thing now here - university is, and has always been, just a sausage factory for the brain, as our lovely local legend, Julie Burchill, once wrote.

I've had no wage or income of any type for 2 years. It certainly shocks me.