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.

In the space of a 18m have gone from 70% to 16%

34% earn less. We are in the squeezed middle. And we know it. Treats and small luxuries are a thing of the past. We are back to going overdrawn at the end of every month and that is just with buying food / essentials and paying the bills.

Dilly. Not all outgoings are a choice. We pay a huge amount in commuting costs. If we chose not to pay that amount we would be on the dole and homeless, also pay a lot in childcare, that isn't a choice. We also pay high housing costs, but it isn't a choice as we can't downsize and would not be entitled to social housing. We don't have a large property, in fact we beat you when it comes to competitive small properties as we have a 1.5 bedroomed property .

44% earn less here. It doesn't take into account your outgoings though. One person may spend a lot more than another on housing if they are not eligible for housing benefit, for example.

7% earn less and we are in poverty - and I am surprised - Didn't think we were doing that badly!

I think it's quite misleading as it's using some sort of formula to define 'wealth'

Although they quote "42% have a lower income than you" that's not actually what they mean. Income is fixed regardless of circumstance so why if I give myself a teenager (and add the child benefit to match) do I get the result that only 27% have a lower income. My income hasn't changed.

Good point tyler - but teenagers are very expensive you know - they're not wrong there

Another one to say this test is meaningless. I came out as squeezed middle which is right, I could have said that without a test. But I am about to come into a large sum of money such that I can pay off my substantial 6 figure sum mortgage. Without the mortgage payments, my entire lifestyle is set to change so I won't be at all squeezed. But my incomings will be the same.

So, the test is meaningless.

How do you work out your net pay. Is it before or after council tax?

this isn't sophisticated as it doesn't tell you to include benefits income or region-

last year we'd have been in bottom 2% (not including benefits) but 9% with...

a more complex calculator placed us as bottom 16% which seemed a better approximation

and it was tight, but not dire poverty by any stretch. - i think probably 'after tax' should mean with benefits....

this year - 42% which is a load better! 'squeezed middle' - we can afford nice cake :)

Everyone should be able to afford nice cake !
(might have to make our own )

Let them eat cake !

Only 7% have less than us. I knew we were badly off but damn

2% have a lower income than you You are in poverty, with a household income below 60% of the median

Lovely... This on benefits 2 adults 1 child. Benefits really don't pay as well as everyone seems to think.

I think you have to include all income whether earned or via benefits including hb. I did it with net salary plus cb plus tax credits and came out at 47%. Then did it based on net salary only and no kids (DC turned 18 so everything stops in August) and came out at 57%. I didn't take off Council tax.

I'm surprised tbh as I would consider myself on a low income, not in poverty but less than the squeezed middle.

My friend did it. 2 income's no kids and they were comfortable at 79%, they both earn average wage so I guess that's about right.

That 7% does include benefits. The irritating thing is my XH (son's dad) is in the top 5%. Wanker. I'm still not sorry I left him though

Very very grateful to be 84% but I am still stuck in a 2 bed flat with no garden with a toddler because we can't afford to move up the ladder, at least not anywhere where it's viable with both our jobs and childcare.
So yes we don't worry about paying the bills but still have money "issues". maybe when we can ditch the £1400 per month childcare we will be better placed for paying a higher mortgage but at the moment nobody will lend is enough.

13% have a lower income than our family and apparently that puts us in poverty. I would never consider us to be poor, we're buying our own house, run a car, the kids all do several paid for extra curricular activities and we nearly always manage to go on at least one camping holiday a year.

We in the squeezed middle 42 % lower than us.

However I agree the test is meaningless - we are suffering at minute but DH work is away from here so has to pay for accommodation down there and travel every week. We can't get down there till we sell the house which mean spending yet more money to get it in a salable state.

Once we get down there even spending more on mortgage every month, as housing will be more expensive and smaller, we will have much more money every month.

Tyler, if I remove my three teenagers, we suddenly leap up the percentages. Teenagers are jolly expensive. I have to buy a new French Horn for DD2 soon as we have to return her borrowed one to its owner and not certain how we're going to manage...

Its absolutely no use without some idea of housing costs, we are squeezed middle but our rent is £1650 a month and full time childcare would be £17K per year where I live... so in reality we are completely and utterly broke all the time. Our friends who live a couple of hours away earn exactly the same as us, but have £1400 PCM more spare cash than us.

Are journalists supposed to be pming us about this?

Ah yes - I've just asked that question in "site stuff"!

BonnieBumble: "Hackmum - it's your salary plus any CB you receive. I can understand not knowing your pre tax earnings but surely everyone knows what they earn after tax. How do you budget each month if you don't know how much is coming in?"

Well, I think Itsallgoingtobefine had it right, really - we've got enough coming in that we don't need to budget. I'm self-employed so my monthly income varies and then I get tax demands in January and July. And I'm not quite sure what my DP's income is after tax. I have a rough idea of his net income, but then pension and NI are also taken from his salary, so I don't know what it would be if you just took away the tax. Also, some of his income is made up of an annual bonus and that varies too.

Beatrice I reported my post

Squeezed middle if you look at it left to right. But there is a bigger gap between us and the middle part of the TOP of the graph than between us and the people on the lowest incomes.

We have nothing to complain about (and I don't) - but other people with the same income will live in a far cheaper are of the country wrt to housing, will have employers pension contributions (neither of us do), so rather than the exact figure it gives you it is rather broad brush stroke. other indicatiors of wealth are your age - are you young and with a lifetime of promotion ahead of you, or at the peak of what you can ever earn?

The information is powerful to me though, in terms of just how many people are managing on so little in expensive times, and how many people are doing very well indeed.