Is this classed as a ‘high earner’?

[Earnerlesr]

65k.

And if it’s not, what figure starts to be classed as a high earner?

Do you really go around discussing your earnings with your friends?

Yeah, lots of my friends are on megabucks. A couple are on 7 figure salaries.

I'm not saying we don't know anyone who earns that salary (DH does as do some of his friends) but i was responding to the comment that a rural community could be easily made up of lots of high earners. That is definitely not the case in my Northern rural village!

I think £65k provides a more than satisfactory life, if not a luxurious one. Two people combined on £65k are likely to have more disposable income than one of a pair on £65k and the other not working. A singleton on £65k in London would be more than OK but obviously would struggle to buy (at present) without help.

Depending on their life stage a couple on £130k would be able to live very comfortably, possibly not in London/SE with a £500k.mortgage and nursery fees.

There are so many variables and so many different perceptions and realities about living costs in various parts of the country. DS and DIL are on about £75k combined. Their rent is £2k plus bills for a one bedroom flat within 15 mins of Central London (their choice). Once their bills are paid, food accounted for, living costs dealt with, a modest holiday, etc, there is not much left. They are late 20s, no children. They would be stretched to start a family but they could move 10 miles out and get a much bigger flat, or could both switch careers and earn another £15k each but they are doing what they love. It sounds a lot but it doesn't go far in London, I am pleased they are living to salary.

There's a world.of difference between earning £100k in Newcastle and £100k in London. I remember when £100k was rare in the laye 80s. That probably extrapolates to well over £500k now.

Take the money out and define what represents a modest, comfortable and luxury life would be a more helpful exercise especially if adjusted for different regions. It's done for retirees but even then doesn't account for the size of property, etc.

@Mademetoxic it's not always hard to work out what people might earn even without discussing it. One of my good friends works in a nursery the other is a consultant doctor. It's not difficult to work out what each might be earning.

No, but many sectors have pay scales. I know what I’m earning and can therefore work out what they’re earning or I might see the job advertised with a salary range. Some people volunteer their earnings (or in the case of mumsnet cliches their DHs earnings) to brag.

I also bench mark my salary against a select few of my peers to make sure I’m not being screwed over for not having a penis.

I generally associate it with six figures but £100000 is not that much in London especially in certain areas.

We are on £130k and own a 2 bed flat in z3. Can afford to overpay £1k per month towards the mortgage (bought in 2019 when on £75k combined as we had 3 years of rent free living at home but no cash help). We could theoretically afford nursery fees but it would be a lot more comfortable in 2 years time when DH is done paying his student loan.

Yes after tax a month, that's a high earner. Don't listen to the shite hawks on here, theyre full of mad dog!

It really is what I'd call a "higher earner". It's way above the national average. Obviously plenty of people earn a lot more but you have to see it in the context of all the millions of people who earn less and what the average is.

If you dont work, your not really EARNING are you!

I earn £70k, which is a fortune where I'm from. My mum would faint if she knew.
It's half of what many of our friends are on.
My lifestyle looks like the lifestyle of family friends who were on £30k in the 90s.
It's all relative.

I’d class high earner as six figures…. Or maybe like 90k+

My OH earns 60k and I wouldn’t class him as a high earner. It’s a good wage yes but not a high earner.

This.
It's a very high income indeed.

You just move in different circles. I know plenty of people earning way over that and I'm not even in London anymore

Given that only 2.5% of the population earn more than £100,000 you are not the normal representative of what is a high earner.
In my circle of friends and family of around 150 people I only know of three that earn 65K or more by their profession (2 in IT, 2 are doctors). Obviously I don't know for definite as never ask but pretty certain none of my teacher, social worker, nurse, shop workers, admin staff, charity sector working friends do.

It's high compared to most people's salaries in this country. Assuming OP meant in the UK, not in individuals' specific social circles.

In my social and professional circles in London it would be considered extremely high indeed. Among bankers, not. However, only 5% of people in the UK earn that much, so it is definitely very high.

I know plenty of people earning high salaries as well, but doesn't prevent me from recognising that they are high salaries, and that most people earn much less.

I didn't realise the op only meant posters living in England

They do both contain the word ‘high’, true, but my point is that it makes more sense to measure what ‘high’ means in this - highly subjective - case by reference to others’ earnings or buying power rather than a tax rate which is applied to very different effects at different times. The post I quoted points out that higher rate tax is now levied on salaries that wouldn’t have come close to paying it in the past.

The government could keep the point at which the higher rate kicks in at £50k until almost most of us are paying it. Or they could raise it to £80k next year - would that mean someone who is a high earner on £60k now becomes an average earner then?

Someone on 100k could struggle with CoL expenses especially if they lived in an expensive area.

Someone on 45k could live comfortably depending on their outgoings

Both statements are true.

But the person on 100k still earns more than the vast majority of earners!!

That’s around what teachers should be on if wages hadn’t been cut in real terms since the 90s. Plus a lot of other professions as well I’m sure. Either way higher than the average, comfortable outside of London but not in the high category. Although it purely depends which end you are looking at it from.

Being a high earner doesn't mean you'll live a life of luxury or in some cases even comfortably but it's disingenuous to suggest that 100k is somehow quite average

Exactly.

What jobs do you do, out of interest?