Income in the United Kingdom

Last updated

UK median household disposable income by income group for 2008-2016, indexed to 2008 Uk incomes.png
UK median household disposable income by income group for 2008-2016, indexed to 2008
The Median Gross Household Income as of 2018. UK Median Gross Household Income (excl. NI).png
The Median Gross Household Income as of 2018.
The Median Individual Disposable income as of 2018. Individual Disposable Income (excl. NI).png
The Median Individual Disposable income as of 2018.

Median household disposable income in the UK was £29,400 in the financial year ending (FYE) 2019, up 1.4% (£400) compared with growth over recent years; median income grew by an average of 0.7% per year between FYE 2017 and FYE 2019, compared with 2.8% between FYE 2013 and FYE 2017. [2]

Contents

The rise in median income has occurred during a period where the employment rate grew by 0.5 percentage points, while real total pay for employees increased by an average of 1.0% across the 12 months in FYE 2019 compared with FYE 2018. [2]

Median income of people living in retired households increased by 1.1% (£300), while the median income of people living in non-retired households grew by 1.3% (£400). [2]

Data sources

There are a number of different sources of data on income which results in different estimates of income due to different sample sizes, population types (e.g. whether the population sample includes the self-employed, pensioners, individuals not liable to tax), definitions of income (e.g. gross earnings vs original income vs gross income vs net income vs post tax income). [3]

The Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) is a dataset from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) based on individuals who could be liable to tax. HMRC does not hold information on individuals whose income is below the personal allowance (£8,105 in 2012/13). [4] Furthermore, SPI does not include income from non taxable benefits such as housing benefits or Jobseeker's Allowance. [5] [3]

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) is a dataset from an annual survey of approximately 50,000 businesses by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and covers annual earnings, public and private sector pay differential and the gender pay gap. ASHE does not cover self-employed individuals. [3] [6]

The Households Below Average Income (HBAI) dataset is based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS) from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It includes information on equalised household disposable income and can be used to represent the distribution of household income and income inequality (Gini coefficient). [7] [3]

Other data sources include Average Weekly Earnings, Labour Force Survey, Index of Labour Cost per Hour, Unit Labour Costs, Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income / Living Costs and Food Survey, European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, Pensioners Income Series, Wealth and Assets Survey, National Accounts Estimates of Gross Disposable Household Income, and Small Area Income Estimates. [3]

Taxable income

Annual income percentiles for taxpayers in the UK, before and after income tax. In the SVG file, hover over a graph to highlight it. UK income percentiles.svg
Annual income percentiles for taxpayers in the UK, before and after income tax. In the SVG file, hover over a graph to highlight it.

The most recent SPI report (2012/13) gave annual median income as £21,000 before tax and £18,700 after tax. [5] The 2013/14 HBAI report gave median household income (2 adults) as £23,556. [7] The provisional results from the April 2014 ASHE report give median gross annual earnings of £22,044 for all employees and £27,195 for full-time employees. [6]

According to the OECD the average household net-adjusted disposable income per capita is $27,029 a year (in USD, ranked 14/36 OECD countries), the average household net financial wealth per capita is estimated at $60,778 (in USD, ranked 8/36), and the average net-adjusted disposable income of the top 20% of the population is an estimated $57,010 a year, whereas the bottom 20% live on an estimated $10,195 a year giving a ratio of 5.6 (in USD, ranked 25/36). [8]

The 2013/14 HBAI reported that 15% of people had a relative low income (below 60% of median threshold) before housing costs. [7]

Data from HMRC 2012-13; incomes are before tax for individuals. The personal allowance or income tax threshold was £8,105 (people with incomes below this level did not pay income tax). [4]

Number of Individuals in the UK by Total PreTax Income.png

Income by location

Gross disposable household income (GDHI) in the UK in 2020 by local authority Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI) across the UK mapped in 2020.svg
Gross disposable household income (GDHI) in the UK in 2020 by local authority
Median income by location on the island of Great Britain Median UK Income by location.png
Median income by location on the island of Great Britain

Income can vary considerably by location. For example, the locations (local administrative unit) with the highest incomes were the City of London, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster with median annual incomes of £58,300, £37,800 and £35,200 respectively. The locations with the lowest incomes were Hyndburn, Torbay, and West Somerset with median annual incomes of £17,000, £16,900 and £16,000 respectively.

A 2017 report from Trust for London found that London has a poverty rate of 27%, compared to 21% in the rest of England. [9]


Income by age and gender

Data from the Survey of Personal Incomes 2012/13.


UK Income by Age and Gender.png

Income by occupation

The tables below shows the ten highest and ten lowest paid occupations in the UK respectively, as at April 2014. [10]

OccupationMedian full-time gross weekly pay (£)
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers1,746.6
Air traffic controllers1,549.4
Chief executives and senior officials1,533.3
Marketing and sales directors1,298.7
Advertising and public relations directors1,289.5
Information technology and telecommunications directors1,226.7
Legal professionals (not included elsewhere)1,217.3
Medical practitioners1,167.1
Brokers1,149.9
Financial managers and directors1,143.0
OccupationMedian full-time gross weekly pay (£)
Cleaners and domestics285.5
Nursery nurses and assistants285.2
Other elementary services occupations (not included elsewhere)279.9
Retail cashiers and check-out operators278.7
Leisure and theme park attendants272.7
Kitchen and catering assistants268.4
Hairdressers and barbers267.8
Launderers, dry cleaners and pressers259.3
Waiters and waitresses257.6
Bar staff253.6

Post-tax household income

Effects of taxes and benefits on household income in 2011/12 Effects of tax and benefits on household income in the UK 2011 - 2012.png
Effects of taxes and benefits on household income in 2011/12

Data from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) report from the Department of Work and Pensions 2013/14:

UK Equivalised Income Distribution.png

Data from HMRC – Percentile points of the income distribution as estimated from the Survey of Personal Incomes, note this only includes individuals who pay some income tax:

UK Income Percentiles After Tax.png

Wealth

The Office for National Statistics found that the median total wealth for individuals in Great Britain was estimated to be £125,000 between April 2018 and March 2020. The mean figure is £305,000, reflecting the unequal wealth distribution with the wealthiest 10% of individuals owning close to half (48.58%) of all wealth. [11]

Percentage of total wealth held by individuals in each individual wealth decile
Wealth DecilePercentage of total wealth held
1st (lowest) wealth decile0.02%
2nd wealth decile0.38%
3rd wealth decile0.79%
4th wealth decile1.60%
5th wealth decile3.11%
6th wealth decile5.24%
7th wealth decile8.17%
8th wealth decile12.35%
9th wealth decile19.76%
10th (highest) wealth decile48.58%

High income

The Institute for Fiscal Studies issued a report on the UK's highest earners in January 2008. There are 42 million adults in the UK of whom 29 million are income tax payers. (The remainder are pensioners, students, homemakers, the unemployed, those earning under the personal allowance, and other unwaged.) A summary of key findings is shown in the table below:

2008 DataAll taxpayersTop 10% to 1% (adults)Top 1% to 0.1% (adults)Top 0.1% (adults)
Number29.5 million4.21 million421,00042,000
Entry level for group£5,093£35,345£99,727£351,137
Mean value for group£24,769£49,960£155,832£780,043
Average income tax paid£4,415£10,550£49,477£274,482
Percentage of national personal income100%27.6%8.6%4.2%

The top 0.1% are 90% male and 50% of these people are in the 45 to 54 year age group. 31% of these people live in London and 21% in South East England. 33% of these people are company directors (as reported to HMRC). 30% work in finance and 38% in general business (includes law). The very richest rely on earnings (salary and bonuses) for 58% of income. Income from self-employment (such as partnerships in law or accountancy firms) accounts for 23% of income and about 18% from investment income (interest and share dividends).

Sources of income

The Family Resources Survey is a document produced by the Department for Work and Pensions. This details income amongst a representative sample of the British population. This report tabulates sources of income as a percentage of total income. [12]

RegionEmployment (salaries and wages) Self employed Investment income Working tax credit State pensions Occupational pensions Disability benefitsOther social security benefitsOther income sources
UK64%11%2%1%6%7%2%5%2%
Northern Ireland60%11%1%2%7%5%4%7%3%
Scotland66%7%2%2%7%7%3%5%2%
Wales60%8%2%2%8%8%4%6%1%
England64%11%2%1%6%7%2%5%2%
North East England64%5%2%2%8%6%4%7%2%
North West England59%13%2%2%7%7%3%6%2%
Yorkshire64%7%2%2%7%7%2%5%3%
East Midlands65%9%2%1%7%6%2%5%3%
West Midlands62%8%3%2%8%6%2%5%3%
Eastern England56%22%2%1%5%7%1%3%2%
London71%10%2%1%4%4%1%5%3%
South East66%9%4%1%7%8%1%4%2%
South West England60%9%4%1%7%10%2%4%2%

Other social security benefits include: Housing Benefit, Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disposable and discretionary income</span> Total personal income minus current income taxes

Disposable income is total personal income minus current income taxes. In national accounts definitions, personal income minus personal current taxes equals disposable personal income. Subtracting personal outlays yields personal savings, hence the income left after paying away all the taxes is referred to as disposable income.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Insurance</span> Tax and social benefit system in the UK, introduced in 1911

National Insurance (NI) is a fundamental component of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. It acts as a form of social security, since payment of NI contributions establishes entitlement to certain state benefits for workers and their families.

A pay-as-you-earn tax (PAYE), or pay-as-you-go (PAYG) in Australia, is a withholding of taxes on income payments to employees. Amounts withheld are treated as advance payments of income tax due. They are refundable to the extent they exceed tax as determined on tax returns. PAYE may include withholding the employee portion of insurance contributions or similar social benefit taxes. In most countries, they are determined by employers but subject to government review. PAYE is deducted from each paycheck by the employer and must be remitted promptly to the government. Most countries refer to income tax withholding by other terms, including pay-as-you-go tax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Income distribution</span> How a countrys total GDP is distributed amongst its population

In economics, income distribution covers how a country's total GDP is distributed amongst its population. Economic theory and economic policy have long seen income and its distribution as a central concern. Unequal distribution of income causes economic inequality which is a concern in almost all countries around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taxation in the United Kingdom</span>

Taxation in the United Kingdom may involve payments to at least three different levels of government: central government, devolved governments and local government. Central government revenues come primarily from income tax, National Insurance contributions, value added tax, corporation tax and fuel duty. Local government revenues come primarily from grants from central government funds, business rates in England, Council Tax and increasingly from fees and charges such as those for on-street parking. In the fiscal year 2014–15, total government revenue was forecast to be £648 billion, or 37.7 per cent of GDP, with net taxes and National Insurance contributions standing at £606 billion.

A wealth tax is a tax on an entity's holdings of assets or an entity's net worth. This includes the total value of personal assets, including cash, bank deposits, real estate, assets in insurance and pension plans, ownership of unincorporated businesses, financial securities, and personal trusts. Typically, wealth taxation often involves the exclusion of an individual's liabilities, such as mortgages and other debts, from their total assets. Accordingly, this type of taxation is frequently denoted as a netwealth tax.

The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean income. Both of these are ways of understanding income distribution.

Poverty in Australia deals with the incidence of relative poverty in Australia and its measurement. Relative income poverty is measured as a percentage of the population that earns less in comparison to the median wage of the working population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Household income in the United States</span> US family income

Household income is an economic standard that can be applied to one household, or aggregated across a large group such as a county, city, or the whole country. It is commonly used by the United States government and private institutions to describe a household's economic status or to track economic trends in the US.

Household income is a measure of the combined incomes of all people sharing a particular household or place of residence. It includes every form of income, e.g., salaries and wages, retirement income, near cash government transfers like food stamps, and investment gains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personal income in the United States</span>

Personal income is an individual's total earnings from wages, investment interest, and other sources. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median weekly personal income of $1,037 for full-time workers in the United States in Q1 2022. For the year 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the median annual earnings for all workers was $41,535; and more specifically estimates that median annual earnings for those who worked full-time, year round, was $56,287.

In economics, personal income refers to the total earnings of an individual from various sources such as wages, investment ventures, and other sources of income. It encompasses all the products and money received by an individual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Affluence in the United States</span> Economical and financial advantage

Affluence refers to an individual's or household's economical and financial advantage in comparison to others. It may be assessed through either income or wealth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wealth inequality in the United States</span> Overview of wealth inequality in the United States

The inequality of wealth has substantially increased in the United States in recent decades. Wealth commonly includes the values of any homes, automobiles, personal valuables, businesses, savings, and investments, as well as any associated debts.

Poverty in Canada refers to the state or condition in which a person or household lacks essential resources—financial or otherwise—to maintain a modest standard of living in their community.

This article includes several ranked indicators for Chile's regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poverty in Japan</span> Overview of poverty in Japan

In Japan, relative poverty is defined as a state at which the income of a household is at or below half of the median household income. According to OECD figures, the mean household net-adjusted disposable income for Japan is US$23,458, higher than the OECD member state average of US$22,387. Unlike several other modern countries, Japan has no official poverty line, making it difficult to get accurate figures on those suffering impoverished conditions. It was estimated in 2006, using the Employment Status Survey, that 8.2% of regular employees made little enough to be considered working poor. In October 2009, Japan's Labor Ministry released a report which stated that almost one in six Japanese, which would be 22 million people, lived in poverty.

References

  1. "Household disposable income and inequality in the UK". www.ons.gov.uk.
  2. 1 2 3 "Average household income, UK - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "A Guide to Sources of Data on Earnings and Income" (PDF). Office for National Statistics. 1 January 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Income Tax rates and allowances: current and past". HM Revenue & Customs. 6 April 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Personal income by tax year". HM Revenue and Customs. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings". Office for National Statistics. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 "Households below average income (HBAI) statistics". Department for Work and Pensions. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  8. "OECD Better Life Index". OECD Better Life Index. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  9. "London's Poverty Profile 2017". Trust for London. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  10. "Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2014 Provisional Results, Selected Estimates, Table 11". Officer for National Statistics. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  11. "Distribution of individual total wealth by characteristic in Great Britain: April 2018 to March 2020". Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  12. "Family Resources Survey 2005-06". Archived from the original on 11 January 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2008.