June 18, 2026 at 11:35 am

Husband Working Overtime Disagrees With Wife Over How the Extra Money Should Be Spent

by Jayne Elliott

couple arguing

Shutterstock

In a great marriage, everything in truly 50/50. While one spouse may work more or do more chores around the house, overall, it should feel like a pretty even split between the total amount of work being done. What works for one couple will be different than what works for another couple, but both spouses need to feel like the division of chores and work is fair.

What about money? Again, what works for one couple won’t necessarily work for another couple, but ideally, spouses should agree on their budget and make financial decisions together.

If you were married and worked overtime, would you consider this extra income as extra money to be shared equally with your spouse, or would you want to keep it all for yourself?

In this story, one man is in this situation, and he wants to keep all the money he makes working overtime for himself. The problem is that his wife thinks she’s entitled to half of everything.

Keep reading to see whose side you’re on.

AITA for wanting to spend my overtime money for myself?

So I(39m) and my wife(41f) have a disagreement over finances.

She works 37.5 hours a week. I work 42 hours a week.

Both of us equally split chores/laundry/cooking/cleaning.

He works a lot of overtime.

At my job I have the opportunity to work a lot of overtime.

On average I work an extra 10-20 hours a week on top of my regular 42 hours.

I feel like the money I make from overtime hours should be my personal spending money.

Here’s his reasoning.

The reason why I think so is this.

She has mentioned many times she would get a part time job on top of her full time job to bring in extra money.

So far she hasn’t.

Two years ago she had a job cleaning a bank an hour a day that she gave up after about 4 months. She said it wasn’t worth it.

He disagrees with his wife’s reasoning.

I have building resentment over feeling like I work way more than her and she feels like she is entitled to half of whatever it is that I make on account we are married.

AITA for thinking that working extra hours should benefit me exclusively?

Or should this money be split equally between me and my wife.

Uh, they are married. She is entitled to half. He sounds like a jerk.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a stepmom who says stepson isn’t doing enough, despite the fact that he’s working 12-hour shifts to pay for his own college.

Let’s see if Reddit agrees.

This person thinks they need marriage counseling.

2026 06 15 at 8.30.32 PM Husband Working Overtime Disagrees With Wife Over How the Extra Money Should Be Spent

Another person thinks OP sounds selfish.

2026 06 15 at 8.30.56 PM Husband Working Overtime Disagrees With Wife Over How the Extra Money Should Be Spent

This person is on the wife’s side.

2026 06 15 at 8.31.28 PM Husband Working Overtime Disagrees With Wife Over How the Extra Money Should Be Spent

A wife weighs in.

2026 06 15 at 8.32.10 PM Husband Working Overtime Disagrees With Wife Over How the Extra Money Should Be Spent

He definitely sounds selfish, and it definitely sounds like they need to talk to a marriage counselor. His wife is completely right, and I would be upset if I were her too. They should pool all of their money. They can budget in a certain amount of money as fun money, but she’s equally deserving of fun money. If he resents working overtime, he should stop working overtime.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an employee who is told to work a holiday without overtime pay, and how they ended up getting their money.

Jayne Elliott | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Jayne Elliott is a contributing writer and editor for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and family dynamics. With over 12 years of editorial experience in digital publishing, Jayne excels at analyzing complex online communities and transforming viral social debates into thoughtful, highly engaging narratives.

Rather than simply aggregating internet drama, Jayne brings a sharp, empathetic editorial eye to everyday dilemmas. She has a unique talent for unpacking the nuances of pop culture and online conflicts, providing readers with relatable, well-researched commentary.

Based in California, Jayne spends her free time outside the newsroom exploring theme parks with her family or beach-combing along the coast.

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