Disposable Income
Disposable Income for Couples: What to Have Left
January 26, 20262 min read
disposable income
couples
cohabiting
As a couple, you can share many of the fixed expenses, housing, insurance, subscriptions, which often gives a higher disposable income per person than living alone. Whether to fully combine your finances is a personal choice, but when you apply for a joint loan, the bank looks at your combined number.
What changes when there are two of you
Compared to living alone, these are the things that affect your joint disposable income most:
- Shared rent or mortgage: The biggest fixed expense is split across two incomes instead of one
- Shared insurance and subscriptions: You typically pay for one household, not two
- Individual expenses remain: Clothes, transport, and hobbies are often still each your own
How to work out your joint number
Add both incomes together, and subtract the household's total fixed expenses: money in minus fixed expenses is your joint disposable income, the same calculation as for a single person, just with two incomes and typically fewer fixed expenses per person.
- Compare your individual disposable income, if you calculated separately, with the joint number
- Agree on how you split shared expenses, evenly or by income
- Keep track of what's shared and what's individual, it makes money conversations easier
Frequently asked questions
- Should we combine our finances entirely? That's a personal choice. Some couples share everything, others keep fixed shared expenses separate from individual accounts. Either way, the bank looks at your combined picture for a joint loan.
- What does the bank look at for a mortgage as a couple? Your combined disposable income after the new loan, not a fixed nationwide figure. The requirement varies by bank and your wider finances.
- How do we document our combined finances? Upload both partners' bank statements in Reelt for a combined overview of your joint disposable income.
