What do you think classes as a high earner?

[ThinkingABoutThinking221]

Just after ppls opinions on this.

Hear alot about the cost of living etc and the big divide between high and low earners......

What do you think would constitute as a high earner and why? Baring in mind everyone's personal circs......

This seems like a sensible approach.

🤦

Good grief.

No. Why would we?

Are you trying to be funny?

Ooh I would perceive myself to be a high earner if I earned 60k plus tbh! If I think generally, I’d say 100k would be a high earner wage. Low earner would be 25k (around minimum wage).

I arrived at the same ballpark by somewhat different means. You would be a higher rate (the clue is in the name) income tax payer earning a little over £50k.

Because she’s been through my previous posts.

Yes I get PIP because I’m disabled and free prescriptions because I have hypothyroidism. Fuck all to do with my husband’s salary though.

Mean annual earnings in UK in 2025 was £39,039 (Office National statistics). Based on that I’d say anyone earning double that or more is on a high salary.

About £100k

£40k is above the median income for a full time worker. It's not 'low' - it's in the top half.

Sorry. From your previous posts I just assumed your thyroxine was free and that you got PIP. Apologies if that's not the case.

Look - I'm not saying there's anything wrong with getting those, I'm pleased for you - my point is that people forget that they get them and don't include it in their income and your posts here have proved that.

Because it's nothing to do with her income.

Are you ok?

We earn just over your high for household threshold, live in a 3 bed semi in a not naice area, one Renault between us, one DC no private school etc, we do have a holiday each year but somewhere like Greece rather than 3 weeks in Japan. I wouldn't say we are badly paid at all but it didn't feel like being a high earner. I grew up poor and certainly believed if I ever earned the amount I do now I'd feel wealthy. Times have changed.

200k because of the way tax works between £100-£125k plus the extra tax at £150k. £10k a month take home would be comfortable for a nice place in London, with savings for rainy day and holidays, nice car rental, eat out once a week etc

I’m on 30k and don’t qualify for any of those. Nice sense of reality though, keep it up!

What’s your mortgage repayment ?

It's just gone down to 1350 but has been a fair bit higher for the last two years, we were in the unfortunate position of coming to the end of a fixed just at the time of the infamous budget. Prior to that it was 900 a month, we were earning less but had more disposable income! We're comfortable I don't have to worry about paying bills , if the car needs a repair etc but if you'd told me what we'd be earning when I was younger I would've thought we'd be living a very different lifestyle.

You still must be very comfortable. My DD pays £1200 pm rent for one room in a house share with friends.

The answers as far as I've read giving a reading of 100k to 150k as high seem off to me.

I live in a part of the country with low house prices, compared to some areas. But utilities and food prices are usually universal, to a country.

We think we are well off by comparison to many. There are three us, all adults, bring in 70k pa.or thereabouts.

We have everything we need, and a lot of what we want.

That's why I say in threads like these, it's not just about your income. That's only half the story. The other half of the story is your outgoings.

So we have no children, so no child care expenses. No mortgage, so not at the whim of inflation. No rent, we own our home.

Please don't think earning more is the answer. If you earn more but also increase your outgoings (bigger mortgage, more child care) you'll only find yourself in the same situation you began in.

And please don't think I'm sitting here, in my entitled hill, judging you. I ended up in my position by happenstance. I didn't plan it, it just happened.

Some of the estimates on here are ludicrously high. Everyone’s opinion is going to differ depending on age and where they are on the scale, but objectively, a high earner is someone earning a salary in the top 10%.

Therefore anyone on ~70k is a high earner.

A very high earner would be someone earning a salary in the top 5%. Someone on 90k would be a very high earner.

🤣🤣 I don’t think you’ve understood the exam question

I've been there and it was hard but I had nowhere near the outgoings I do now, childcare, the cat has had some major surgeries so his insurance is a fortune now, even utilities etc on an older house, I don't have very high commute costs but DH took a new job recently and does.

I've been absolutely flat broke, so I'm not coming at this without recognising my position now is one of privilege and my DS has a very different life to the one I had growing up.

I'm in the South East and earn just under £42K. I feel comfortably off.
I would say 60K is well off and 80K is a high earner.

Do you have kids and a partner?

I have a DP but he gave up work to be a carer for his mum.

We have one dd who graduated last year and is now working. We supported her financially until September.

My first job was in care work and I had to watch every penny. I remember what that was like so for the last few decades, I have always felt very comfortably off.