On average, adults with ADHD report more impulse buying and more often have money difficulties. But the studies paint a more nuanced picture than the "ADHD tax" of social media. With Black Friday and the holidays approaching, here is what research has established, what it does not say, and some common-sense safeguards.
- What is solid: in Sweden, using real credit data, missed payments among adults diagnosed with ADHD rise sharply in midlife, even at comparable income and education.
- What is nuanced: in a Dutch study of 1,292 adults, the link between ADHD symptoms and impulse buying became minimal once personality, depressive symptoms and sociodemographic factors were taken into account.
- What may help: delaying purchases, removing saved cards, making a list. Common sense: we found no study testing these in ADHD.
More impulse buying, but not only because of ADHD
A study run at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands was published on 12 October 2020 in PLoS One. Between 2014 and 2019, 1,292 adults aged 18 to 93 completed online questionnaires. No diagnoses were verified: groups were formed from self-reported symptoms, including 46 people with an "ADHD" profile, 57 with an "adult-only ADHD" profile and 265 without symptoms, of similar age, sex and education.
The groups with symptoms reported more impulse buying (a moderate gap, d = 0.47, for the "adult-only" group), more often avoided financial decisions, and saved less: 19.6% of the "ADHD" group were saving for retirement, against 41.5% of the group without symptoms. On the other hand, neither income nor having debts differed significantly.
But here is the nuance: across all participants, once age, sex, education, income, personality and depressive symptoms were accounted for, ADHD symptoms explained only an extra 0.2% of the differences in impulse buying, a contribution that was not significant at the strict threshold the authors had set. What mattered most: a tendency towards negative emotions, extraversion, low conscientiousness (being less organised), being a woman and being younger.
This does not prove that ADHD plays no role: the authors note that ADHD symptoms were themselves linked to some of these personality traits. But impulse buying is not a "signature" of ADHD. The study is cross-sectional (associations, not causes) and had no clinical diagnosis. In a small clinical sample, the same team had found clearer gaps: in 2019, 45 adults diagnosed with ADHD reported lower income, more often had debts and less often had a savings account than 51 controls.
The missing link: being able to wait
An Icelandic study published on 30 September 2024 in Clinical Psychology in Europe compared 225 adults reporting an ADHD diagnosis, recruited through the Icelandic ADHD association, with 121 university students. On an impulse-buying scale running from 9 to 45, the ADHD group averaged 30.8, against 19.6. The link between symptoms and impulse buying ran, statistically, through the ability to delay gratification. Limits flagged by the authors: diagnoses not verified, groups differing in age and education, and a model that cannot prove cause.
The result fits a 2016 meta-analysis (21 studies, 3,913 participants): people with ADHD more often choose a small sum now over a larger sum later, a medium-sized difference (d = 0.43). It is consistent with researcher Russell Barkley's view of ADHD as first and foremost a disorder of self-regulation (our fact-check of that idea).
Real credit data: Sweden
A descriptive study published on 30 September 2020 in Science Advances linked mental health registers for the whole of Sweden (11.55 million people) with 2010 to 2013 credit and arrears records for a random sample of 189,267 people, 1,970 of them diagnosed with ADHD.
At comparable income, education, sex and co-occurring conditions (anxiety, depression, substance use, autism), adults with ADHD start adult life with normal rates of missed payments. The gap opens later: around age 40, their risk of default peaks at more than six times that of the general population. This is a relative figure, which does not say how many people are affected, and the authors point out that many unpaid claims involve small amounts, such as parking tickets. The study does not say why.
In the United States, a cohort followed from childhood to age 25 (517 young adults, 309 of them diagnosed with ADHD as children, 88% male) showed more financial dependence on family and welfare, and lower earnings, among those with ADHD.
What about "almost three times more likely to struggle with debt"?
That figure comes from a survey commissioned in 2022 from YouGov by the UK digital bank Monzo, not from a scientific study. According to the bank, 31% of people living with ADHD said they struggled with debt, against 11% of others, and 76% said money issues affected their mental health, against 38%. According to The Guardian, 506 people with ADHD took part. Method not published, ADHD self-reported, no peer review: these figures give a sense of lived experience, not a reliable measurement. For the wider research on ADHD, anxiety and depression, see our article on the topic.
Why money can be harder
- The pull of "now": the difficulty with waiting described above (see also our article on reward in the brain in ADHD and autism). In a US online survey of 544 adults, more hyperactive-impulsive symptoms (not inattentive ones) went with more late credit card payments and more debt.
- Time: "time blindness" (a popular expression, not a diagnosis) can make you miss a due date or the end of a free trial. Our time blindness self-assessment questionnaire can shed some light.
- Emotions: people also buy to feel better. In the Dutch study, the emotional component of impulse buying was higher in the "adult-only ADHD" group.
- Putting off paperwork: the same study found a more "avoidant" decision style, which pushes financial choices back. If that sounds familiar, see our procrastination questionnaire.
Before Black Friday: simple safeguards
Countdown timers, "only a few left", one-click payment: these techniques play on urgency and immediacy, exactly where the studies locate the difficulty. The ideas below are common sense: as far as we know, they have not been tested in ADHD.
- Build in a delay: put the item in your basket and decide tomorrow.
- Add friction: delete saved cards on shopping sites and switch off one-click payment.
- Decide in advance: a written list and a holiday budget set ahead of time, in a separate account or envelope.
- Cut the prompts: unsubscribe from newsletters, turn off shopping notifications.
- Automate: direct debits for bills, a reminder before free trials end.
- Name the feeling: "Do I need this, or do I want to feel better?"
No guilt: this is not a lack of willpower. To take stock of possible ADHD, our adult ADHD self-assessment questionnaire (ASRS v1.1) can help. Its result is not a diagnosis: talk to your doctor.
If money becomes a source of distress
If debts are building up, contact a free debt advice service in your country. The Swedish study also observed that, among adults with ADHD, the heaviest financial difficulties went with a higher risk of suicide. This is an association, not a fate: if you are having thoughts of suicide, in the US call or text 988, in the UK and Ireland call Samaritans on 116 123, and elsewhere call your local emergency number. Help is available.
Frequently asked questions
Does ADHD always make you a big spender?
No. Studies show average differences, with large individual variation, and impulse buying is common without ADHD too.
What is the "ADHD tax"?
A social media expression, not a scientific concept: the extra costs linked to forgetfulness and impulsivity (late fees, forgotten subscriptions, regretted purchases). In the Monzo survey, respondents who were affected estimated it at about £1,600 a year, with no published calculation method.
Impulse buying or compulsive buying: what is the difference?
Impulse buying, unplanned and decided on the spot, is common. Compulsive buying is a repeated urge to buy that is hard to control and causes real distress. If you cannot stop, or if your purchases lead to debt, conflict or distress, talk to your doctor.
Can an online questionnaire tell me whether my spending comes from ADHD?
No. A self-assessment questionnaire helps you describe your difficulties and prepare for an appointment. Only a qualified health professional can make a diagnosis.
References: Bangma DF, Tucha L, Fuermaier ABM, Tucha O, Koerts J (2020). Financial decision-making in a community sample of adults with and without current symptoms of ADHD. PLoS One 15(10):e0239343. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0239343 (cross-sectional online study, 1,292 Dutch adults) | Bangma DF, Koerts J, Fuermaier ABM, Mette C, Zimmermann M, Toussaint AK, Tucha L, Tucha O (2019). Financial decision-making in adults with ADHD. Neuropsychology 33(8):1065-1077. doi:10.1037/neu0000571 (45 adults with ADHD, 51 controls) | Einarsson SB, Sigurðsson BH, Kjartansdóttir SH, Magnússon P, Sigurðsson JF (2024). Impulsive buying and deferment of gratification among adults with ADHD. Clinical Psychology in Europe 6(3):e9339. doi:10.32872/cpe.9339 (cross-sectional study, 225 adults with self-reported ADHD diagnosis, 121 students) | Jackson JN, MacKillop J (2016). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and monetary delay discounting: a meta-analysis of case-control studies. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging 1(4):316-325. doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2016.01.007 (meta-analysis, 21 studies, N = 3,913) | Beauchaine TP, Ben-David I, Sela A (2017). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, delay discounting, and risky financial behaviors: a preliminary analysis of self-report data. PLoS One 12(5):e0176933. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0176933 (online survey, 544 US adults) | Beauchaine TP, Ben-David I, Bos M (2020). ADHD, financial distress, and suicide in adulthood: a population study. Science Advances 6(40):eaba1551. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aba1551 (Swedish registers, 11.55 million people; credit data for 189,267 people including 1,970 with ADHD) | Altszuler AR, Page TF, Gnagy EM, Coxe S, Arrieta A, Molina BSG, Pelham WE (2016). Financial dependence of young adults with childhood ADHD. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 44(6):1217-1229. doi:10.1007/s10802-015-0093-9 (PALS longitudinal cohort, 517 participants) | Monzo (27 June 2022). Living with ADHD can cost an extra £1,600 a year because of difficulties managing your money (survey commissioned from YouGov, not published in a scientific journal); sample size reported by R. Jones, The Guardian, 25 June 2022