How much allowance should a child get? By age
Parents search this question more than almost any other money question, and the honest answer is that there is no official number. Government money educators describe what an allowance is for and how to set it, not a dollar amount by age. That is good news: you can set an amount that fits your family and still teach every skill an allowance is meant to teach. This guide shows a simple method, age-by-age ideas and the rules that matter more than the amount.
Educational, not financial advice. UpOnly Learning teaches how money works. This is general education, not financial, tax, legal or investment advice. We do not recommend any product, account, fund, stock or coin.
What an allowance is for
An allowance is practice. NDSU Extension calls it one way to help young people gain experience handling money (NDSU Extension, Preteens and Money). The CFPB tells school-age learners that they can earn money through an allowance or by doing jobs for the family or others (CFPB, Money as You Grow). In both views, the goal is not the money itself. It is the decisions your student makes with it.
That changes the question. Instead of asking what other families pay, ask what your student should be paying for with this money. The amount follows from that list.
A simple way to set the amount
NDSU Extension suggests a practical method: keep a record of the money you already give your student, then give that amount as an allowance your student manages (NDSU Extension). You are not spending more. You are handing over decisions you used to make.
- Track two or three weeks. Write down what you already spend on your student's small extras: snacks out, small toys, a school fundraiser, a game purchase.
- Choose what moves to the allowance. Pick the items your student will now pay for. Keep needs, like school shoes, with the family budget.
- Turn it into a weekly amount. Add it up and divide. For example, if those extras came to about $20 a month, a weekly allowance near $5 covers the same ground.
- Talk every week. NDSU suggests talking about the allowance every week and adjusting it as needed.
The example above is only arithmetic, not a recommended amount. Your list decides the number.
Allowance ideas by age
| Age | What the allowance can cover | Skill it builds |
|---|---|---|
| 5 to 7 | A small treat or toy now and then | Waiting, counting coins, needs and wants |
| 8 to 10 | Snacks, small games, gifts for friends | Saving for a goal, a save, spend and share plan |
| 11 to 13 | Outings with friends, some clothes extras | A monthly budget, comparing prices |
| 14 and up | Phone extras, entertainment, part of clothing | Bank accounts, planning around a paycheck |
The young end of the table matches the CFPB's ideas for ages 3 to 5: sometimes you have to wait and save up, and every time we spend money we make a choice (CFPB, Money as You Grow, early years). Our needs, wants and choices lesson gives your student the words for it.
Should you pay for chores?
Families split on this, and both sides have reasons. NDSU Extension says paying for all household chores is not considered a good idea, but parents may want to pay for "extra" jobs, like cleaning the car or weeding the garden (NDSU Extension). A common middle path follows that advice:
- Everyday chores are unpaid. Making the bed and clearing the table are part of living in a home.
- Extra jobs can earn money. Washing the car or a big yard job is work someone might otherwise be paid for.
- The base allowance is not a wage. Keeping it separate means a missed chore is handled as a chore problem, not by taking money away.
Earning by working is a real money lesson in its own right. Our how people earn lesson connects it to jobs and pay.
Rules that matter more than the amount
- Same day, same amount. Predictable money is what makes planning possible.
- No rescue loans. If the money runs out on Tuesday, the plan waits until next payday. NDSU notes that preteens will make spending mistakes and adults can help them learn from those mistakes.
- Write a simple plan. A budget is a plan you write down to decide how you will spend your money (consumer.gov). For a young student, save, spend and share jars are a budget.
- Decide where savings live. A jar works at first. Later, our how banks work lesson explains deposits and why insured accounts are safe. If you use a money app, the CFPB advises that money kept in a nonbank payment app often is not covered by federal deposit insurance (CFPB consumer advisory).
When your student wants something big
Sooner or later the request comes for something the weekly amount cannot cover. This is the best lesson the allowance can teach, so resist the urge to simply buy it. Instead, sit down together and work out how many weeks of saving it would take. If the item costs $45 and your student can set aside $3 a week, that is 15 weeks. Seeing the number helps your student decide whether the item is worth the wait, which is exactly the opportunity cost idea in our needs and wants lesson: the best thing you give up to get something else.
Some families offer to match part of the savings for a big goal. That is a family choice, not a rule, but it gives a gentle first look at how money can grow when it is left alone. Teenagers can read how interest does the same thing over years in the interest and time lesson.
Turn the allowance into lessons
Pair the allowance with short reading. The budgeting basics lesson walks through listing expenses and subtracting them from income. The free grade 3 life skills worksheets include a budgeting topic, and the grade 6 life skills worksheets cover a first budget and first income. When you want the bigger picture, read how to teach money skills at each age.
Common questions
How much allowance should a 10 year old get?
There is no official amount. A practical method from NDSU Extension is to add up what you already spend on your student's small extras and give that amount as an allowance to manage. The list of things it must cover decides the number, so two families can choose very different amounts and both be right.
Should kids get paid for chores?
Many families keep everyday chores unpaid and pay only for extra jobs. NDSU Extension says paying for all household chores is not considered a good idea, but paying for extra jobs, like washing the car or weeding the garden, can make sense.
When should you start giving an allowance?
When your student can count coins and understands that money buys things, an allowance becomes useful practice. Many families start in the early school years, with small amounts and one simple goal, such as saving for a toy.
What should an allowance cover?
Choose a short list of extras your student now decides about, such as snacks, small toys or outings. Keep needs, like school shoes or meals, in the family budget. Add items as your student shows good planning.
Is this financial advice?
No. UpOnly Learning teaches how money works as general education. We do not recommend any product, account, fund, stock or coin.