How do you fit into breadline Britain? Take the test

[DillyTante]

Add your details here to see how comparatively wealthy you are compared to the rest of the country.

27% of the UK earn less than we do, and we are living on the edge of poverty apparently.

are they dependant on you? still in education? or out working

One at uni and one at college - both dependant - well I did put them in and it says 83% are worse off. I doubt that is true!!! Anyway I'm not complaining hopefully in a year I will be working too so we will be in a better situation

1% but that's just on my wages... can't work out benefits at the moment as waiting for the calculations to come through!

I am right at the bottom!!! I am a single mum and work night shifts as a carer. I barely earn enough to cover my rent and I live in a static caravan.
But I am happy, myself and my son have our health and when I read about expatinscotlands beautiful daughter and her daily struggles it makes money irrelevant.

That's weird. If I put in the same after-tax income figure but say I am a couple then it tells me that my income is more than 77% of households.

There's something fishy here - 2 people, with the same after-tax income should be in the same percentile. It must do something to estimate outgoings - but that does NOT represent a measure of income. outrage

Ha! And the data blog page links to their book called facts are sacred.

Yes, but data interpretation and presentation is key in communication.

Oh, here we go:
From the IFS report:

"The main measure of income used in our analysis is household net income, which is then ?equivalised? to take account of differences in household size and composition. We measure each household?s total income from all sources (including earnings, self-employment, pensions, benefits and tax credits) minus council tax and any direct taxes paid on these sources. We then apply 'equivalence scales' to each household's income, accounting for the fact that (for example) a net income of £200 per week will mean a higher standard of living for a single individual than it will for a couple with four children (all else equal)."

Equivalence scales. Without explaining that - including how it's calculated and what it means - the Guardian earns a massive fail from me.

5%, in poverty. It's really fucking boring being skint. That's why I hate these shows where someone tries to live on benefits/nothing for a week - it's fine for a week or a month, but when it goes on and on and on it gets a bit stale, frankly.

99% HAVE A LOWER INCOME THAN YOU
You are the super-rich, in the top income bracket. Your income is at least two-and-a-half times the income of those at the 90th percentile

Counting my blessings every day you never know when life may kick you!

27% earn less than us and we are living on the edge of poverty.

Now DH is a teacher who has management responsibility. So that just goes to show what a crappy wage he is getting and why we are emigrating so our children can have a better life.

4% and in poverty. Yep! 'tis crapola!!

"I disagree. Our income is in the top fifth, but there is certainly nothing like 100000 difference between us and those further down the scale"

You may have a point jinsei

Im not sure how it is worked out, but it does seem there are people here classed as super rich but dont feel they live that life style, I was just assuming the difference to be fair, but my income is £9,000 and I come out out as in the lower 6%, so not sure how that compares to yours anyone else who is in the top 5%, no need to post here the copmarison as would not want it to be poverty compition , but you would be able to work out the difference your self. if it is not 100,000 or even 10's of thousands I would assume the scale is pretty incorect tbh. as i would class super rich as up to 1m at least.

Suckstobeme I'm glad you can see the good things you have. Maybe time for a wee name change? notsobadtobeme perhaps?

@ Curious!!!

How weird. I'm a teacher, dh a chef, so hardly jobs known for their ridiculous salaries and we come out as 'well off', though as soon as dc2 comes along (in 3 months!!) we'll move down to comfortable. I'd have said we were currently comfortable/squeezed and were would continue to stay there.

The difference between the 2 results was 7% - how much does a second child cost?!

5%
I'm living in poverty according to that. Which I would be if I had rent/ mortgage to pay but ours is paid off so we actually do okay on what we have coming in.

80% so comfortable and I think that sounds right. Still lots of student debt hanging around our necks though.

We'd be a lot more comfortable if we didn't have to spend 25% of our post-tax income on childcare but I guess having a baby was our choice.

36%. Squeezed middle??? I think that's a lot of bollocks. We are certainly squeezed I'll give them that.......

Hmm

They ought to have asked what your outgoings were to see what actual disposal income you have. We are in the top 96% apparently, but after we've paid our mortgage and bills we struggle every month and will really miss our child benefit - that's how my kids get their shoes.

Squeezed middle. Sounds spot on, especially as naff west have stolen our wages and we rely on CB every month so nearly had no money or food.

We are both working, DH has been doing his job for 20 years and yet only 31% of the population lives on less than we do. 10 years ago we were a lot better off than we are now, and I wasn't even working then. DH's salary hasn't risen in 8 years (he's a civil servant) but all our costs have doubled. But we are lucky that we are still just about in credit every month.

I've worked it out by tweaking the figures a little- it's the bloody children! They're just eating up all our income... We'd actually be really decently off if we could sell the children.

Also we'd only need to earn less than £1000 less a year for us to be on the edge of poverty- which we knew already. So when my income slips a little as it does sometimes because I am self-employed, we are instantly in the crap.

97% have a lower income.
Don't like working in financial
Services but pays the bills and means I can work extra hours t hospital providing bf support & DH volunteers at a church and mentors boys

But surely if you come out as bottom 10th for example but had no rent or mortgage to pay or child are costs then you would be quite well off in fact?
(obv doesn't understand....)