Australians Lie about their Salary?

A new Finder survey of just over 1000 Aussies found that 10% of people have lied about their income—roughly two million people nationwide! And who are they lying to? Well, almost half (49%) admitted fibbing to a friend, a third (34%) have misled a family member, and one in five (21%) even kept the truth from their romantic partner.

Some people also take it a step further—27% admitted to exaggerating their salary to a potential employer, and 10% even fudged the numbers on financial applications.

So, why do people do it? Finder’s head of consumer research, Graham Cooke, says it usually comes down to societal pressure, personal insecurities, or just strategic thinking.

"Some people feel like earning more makes them seem more successful or valuable," he explains. "And job seekers sometimes use it to try and negotiate a better salary."

Then there’s the financial side of things—people might inflate their income on loan or credit card applications to qualify for things they otherwise wouldn’t. But Cooke warns that this can backfire in a big way.

“Not only can it lead to your application being denied, but it could also damage your credit score and even have legal consequences,” he says.

When it comes to who’s most likely to lie, Gen Z leads the way (15%), followed by Millennials (11%) and Gen X (9%). And interestingly, women (11%) are slightly more likely than men (9%) to fudge the numbers.

But when men do lie, they tend to do it in different ways—they're more likely than women to exaggerate their income to a prospective employer (31% vs. 23%) or a romantic partner (24% vs. 17%). And when it comes to financial applications, men are way more likely to bend the truth—18% admit to it, compared to just 4% of women.

At the end of the day, financial honesty matters—especially in relationships. “Lying about money can damage trust and make it harder to have open conversations about finances,” Cooke says.

That said, you’re not obligated to tell people your salary if you don’t want to. Your finances are your business—just be careful where you choose to blur the lines!