What percentage should we pay individually toward bills?

Wenders1984

We are trying to make the amount we pay each towards our bills more equal.

As a couple without children, living together. 

He earns more than me but currently we pay half each towards bills into our joint account which leaves me with very little left each month. 

Is there a way to do it so we each pay a percentage of our earnings instead? What percentage is best to use to make it fair?

Rob5342

There's not really a best way as it's a very individual choice and depends on your attitudes to money. Personally I'd say a 50/50 approach is good for friends sharing but not for a couple where you are supporting each other. My wife and I just put everything into a joint account and each spend from there. As far as we are concerned it's joint money, and as long as we can each buy what we want and need sometimes and there is enough to cover everything else we don't worry about how much each of us has spent. Due to various reasons I earn 17 times what she does. I could give her X amount a month but that would feel like I was in charge of her so it seems fairer for us both to spend it as needed.

Maybe you could add up your incomes and take off all your outgoings to work out the total spare you had each month. Then you could work out how to split the spare up based on what you each needed, some could be saved for something you want jointly, some could be for each of you to use personally.

Robin9

I think there is a different attitude to money depending on whether you are married or not. We are a married couple of many years and have the same attitude as  @Rob5342 and we simply put everything into a common pot - what individually contribute or spend doesn't matter.  For us it is "till death us do part"

I may be wrong but @Wenders1984 you describe yourself as a "couple"  and not married.  

theoretica

I see three starting points, depending on your relationships.

1) pay equally to bills - you both benefit - very unequal spending/saving money

2) pay to bills in proportion of earnings - earn 50% more, pay 50% more - and have spending/saving money in proportion to earnings too

3) have equal spending/saving money - very unequal bill paying

Especially with option 1, it is unfair of the higher earner to let shared expenses creep up - because they can afford more than the other person.

jimpwarsop

Wenders1984 said:

We are trying to make the amount we pay each towards our bills more equal.

As a couple without children, living together. 

He earns more than me but currently we pay half each towards bills into our joint account which leaves me with very little left each month. 

Is there a way to do it so we each pay a percentage of our earnings instead? What percentage is best to use to make it fair?

Take anything your partner offers - you cant lose.

blue.peter

It's very much a personal thing and something that you need to discuss and agree.

For what it's worth, I kmow a thirty-something couple with a great disparity in their earnings. He earns about 2.5 times what she does. (He manages a team for a big IT firm, she works for a charity.) They each have their own accounts into which their salary is paid. They also have a joint account from which joint bills (mortgage, water, council tax, energy etc. are paid). They work out in advance what they expect to need to put in that joint account each month (i.e., they calculate a budget). He contributes about 70% of the budget from his salary, and she contributes about 30%. This works for them: it might or might not work for you.

All you can do is discuss it. And you need to do so. As things stand, it sounds as if you feel unhappy with the present arrangement. If you can't reach what you see as a more equitable arrangement, the present one risks becoming a festering sore that'll tear you apart.

Emmia

theoretica said:

I see three starting points, depending on your relationships.

1) pay equally to bills - you both benefit - very unequal spending/saving money

2) pay to bills in proportion of earnings - earn 50% more, pay 50% more - and have spending/saving money in proportion to earnings too

3) have equal spending/saving money - very unequal bill paying

Especially with option 1, it is unfair of the higher earner to let shared expenses creep up - because they can afford more than the other person.

We do 2. - married, and have salaries paid into our own accounts. We pay into joint.accouns to cover groceries/ bills / mortgage. No kids

Personally I (lower earner) wouldn't have an arrangement where it is "all in" to a single pot - I like having my own money and control of it.

Honestly though, you need to talk about it - if you really can't then that probably indicates other problems.

EssexExile

Whatever works for you. Ours just all goes into the same account and we spend what we like, we both know or financial situation and what we can/can't afford. Expensive things are discussed beforehand.

As others have said, discuss it.

Shakin_Steve

All of our money goes into a joint account and then my wife spends it. ☹️

enthusiasticsaver

There are various ways and it depends on individual choice really.  We have always gone for joint accounts for all income and household expenditure and the same amount of personal spending money for each of us.  We are married though and had children and initially the same income roughly. As time went on and I worked part time due to childcare responsibilities my husbands wages were higher but it made no difference to the way bills were paid. If you are unmarried and have no children and have a household account for bills and personal accounts for income and spending money then it would seem fairer to have the bills split taking income differences into account.  So if you earn £25k net and your partner earns £50k net then the bills should really be split with you paying a third and him/her paying two thirds. There also needs to be a discussion about what constitutes a joint expense and a personal expense so if the higher partner is wishing to pay more for things like cable tv/expensive car/mobile phone etc then they should contribute more. 

Ergates

theoretica said:

I see three starting points, depending on your relationships.

1) pay equally to bills - you both benefit - very unequal spending/saving money

2) pay to bills in proportion of earnings - earn 50% more, pay 50% more - and have spending/saving money in proportion to earnings too

3) have equal spending/saving money - very unequal bill paying

Especially with option 1, it is unfair of the higher earner to let shared expenses creep up - because they can afford more than the other person.

Another one for option 2 here.

We both pay about 80% of our salary into joint "things" (she just pays all her share into the joint account, I pay most of my share into the joint account, and some into savings).