A post by a Reddit user from a tier-3 city in India has gone viral for comparing the monthly earnings of their domestic help’s family with their own salaried, tax-paying income. Titled “Our maid is richer than us now”, the post sparked a wide debate online before it was eventually deleted.
In the detailed post, the user claimed that their domestic help’s household earns a combined income of approximately INR 1 lakh (USD 1,164) per month, with none of it being taxed.
According to the country’s laws, income till INR 12.75 lakh (USD 14,850) isn’t taxable. According to a report by The Hindu, only 6.68 percent of India’s population filed income tax returns in 2023-24 fiscal.
The user said that the maid works from 9 am to 5 pm across three houses and earns about INR 30,000 (USD 349) each month. Her husband, a daily wage labourer, reportedly contributes another INR 30,000 to the family income.
The couple’s elder son is employed at a saree shop, where he brings home around INR 30,000 per month. Their daughter, who is currently studying in Class 11 and learning tailoring, already earns INR 3,000 (USD 35). According to the post, she is expected to start earning INR 15,000 to INR 20,000 (USD 175 to USD 233) per month once she completes her training.
The youngest son, who has dropped out of school, is undergoing training to become a plumber. The Reddit user stated that his projected future income could be between INR 15,000 and INR 25,000 (USD 175 to USD 291) per month. The family’s total current earnings stand at about INR 98,000 (USD 1,140) and are expected to increase further soon.
The post also mentioned that the maid’s family pays a monthly rent of INR 6,000 (USD 70) for their modest home in the city. They receive free food through government welfare schemes and own a house in their native village under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. This house is rented out to bring in additional income. The family also owns inherited farmland, which they plan to lease out, expecting a quarterly return of INR 30,000 to INR 40,000 (USD 349 to USD 466).
The Reddit user shared that the youngest son recently asked his mother to buy him a OnePlus smartphone worth between INR 50,000 and INR 60,000 (USD 582 to USD 698), saying it was for study purposes. However, according to the user, the phone is now mostly used for gaming and social media.
The post concluded with the user reflecting on the financial progress made by the maid’s family, and questioning the traditional definition of the middle class in today’s economic environment. The post triggered a range of reactions, with many users discussing income inequality, taxation, and the informal economy in India.
Reactions
Some users provided an alternative context.
“Everyone in the household works in the unorganised sector and doesn’t get the employee benefits like insurance and pfs as in the organised sector. The family is just one medical emergency away from being short on money,” said one user.
Another said: “I’ve felt the same way. My cook is working in 5 to 6 different flats and earns a decent salary from each but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re financially better off than me. Their income is relatively fixed and limited, while in our case we have the potential for growth, salary hikes, career advancement, and long term financial security. It’s important to keep that perspective in mind instead of making surface level comparisons.”
A third said, “Imagine the dignity and safety of going to unknown people’s houses and washing their dirty utensils and cleaning their dirty floor. Imagine the hard work and dedication of all the family members here. What do you think happens when they fall sick or need surgery? What are their chances of breaking out of their social class?”
Many users doubted the claims made in the post.
“Tier 3 cities don’t pay domestic workers 10k for 3 hours per day work based on your 30k for 9 hours a day estimate. What non-sense,” one user said.
A second said, “Only arithmetic does not work as it appears.”
Another added, “So she gets 10k per house in a tier 3 city? Unbelievable.”
The post, however, resonated with some users.
“Damn, a reality check huh. We keep thinking “middle class” means a stable job and good education, but many families doing physical or small jobs are earning more than office workers now. And they don’t have loans, big bills, or taxes like we do. Feels like today, class is more about how things look than how much money actually comes in,” one user said.
Another said, “They always were richer than you. Can you go to your employer and ask him for leaves unannounced? Can you throw tantrums without getting fired ? You can leave your job and hope for getting another in a span of months if lucky. These guys? They leave first tell you later and get employed virtually when they wish. The freedom they have is far more than the corporate worker will ever have. Although this may not be the case for Every working class family my friend and you might as well be looking at an isolated case.”
A third said: “The vadapav wala in Ballard Estate, Mumbai next to a building I visit comes in a Honda City, parks it somewhere where his tempo is, gets the tempo and gets ready for the days work. He has at least 2 flats in Mumbai. There’s a sugarcane juice guy who is equally rich right next to him. I’ve never seen that man sit quietly even once during the day.”
