One in 10 Australians admit to lying about their salary, with surprising divisions along generational and gender lines.

A Finder survey of 1012 respondents revealed that 10 per cent had misled others about their income – equivalent to two million people Australia-wide.

Of that 10 per cent, nearly half (49 per cent) said they had lied to a friend, while one in three (34 per cent) had lied to a family member, and one in five (21 per cent) had lied to a romantic partner.

Other targets for salary fibs included prospective employers (27 per cent) and financial applications (10 per cent).

Finder head of consumer research Graham Cooke said such lies were often rooted in societal pressures, personal insecurities, or strategic motives.

“Some may feel that inflating their earnings reflects greater success or worth, while job seekers might use it to their advantage during salary negotiations hoping to secure a more favourable offer,” he said.

“Individuals might misrepresent their income on financial applications to qualify for loans, credit cards, or housing they otherwise couldn’t afford.

“While these actions might seem harmless in some contexts, they carry significant risks.”

Generation Z (15 per cent) were more likely than any other generation to admit to lying about their salary, followed by millennials (11 per cent), and gen X (nine per cent).

Cooke said lying on a financial application could have serious repercussions.

“Not only can it lead to your loan application being denied, but it can also damage your credit score and make it difficult to obtain future loans,” he said.

“In some cases, providing false information on a financial application may even have legal consequences.”

Women (11 per cent) were also more likely than men (nine per cent) to fib about their earnings.

However, of the men who did lie, they were more likely to say they lied about their salary to a prospective employer (31 per cent) and romantic partner (24 per cent) than women (23 per cent and 17 per cent respectively).

And men were much more likely to lie on an application (18 per cent, compared to four per cent for women).

Women who had been untruthful were more than twice as likely to lie to family members than men (46 per cent compared to 20 per cent).

Cooke said lying to your partner eroded trust.

“Financial dishonesty undermines the foundation of trust in a relationship which can lead to feelings of betrayal, resentment, and difficulty communicating about important financial matters,” he said.

“When both partners are aware of the true financial picture, they can work together to manage finances responsibly and achieve shared financial goals.

“However, outside of your relationship and legal documents, you are not under any obligation to discuss your salary with anyone if you don’t want to.”