Kids pocket money: how much, how often and for what

There is no official Australian pocket money rate. Moneysmart, the Australian Government money guidance service, and the Raising Children Network both say the amount depends on your family and circumstances, and neither publishes a figure. The workable method is to decide what the money has to cover, check what the budget allows, pick a set pay day, and write the rules down before the first payment.

Is there a going rate?

No, and this article will not invent one. Moneysmart’s position is plain: there is no right or wrong approach, and you should do whatever works for your family and circumstances. [S1] The Raising Children Network, the national parenting website, says the amount depends on your circumstances and what you think is reasonable. [S2]

The number that matters is the one your household can pay every week without it hurting.

How much: base it on four things, in this order

The Raising Children Network says you can base the amount on what chores you expect the child to do, what the family budget will allow, how old the child is, and what you expect the money to pay for. It notes that if pocket money has to cover things like transport, lunches and savings, you might need to give a little more. [S2]

Take them in this order:

• Start with what it has to cover. List the things the child will now pay for themselves (the next section has candidates). Price each one at what it actually costs in your area and add them up per week. That total is the floor.
• Check it against the budget. The Raising Children Network’s advice is to pay what you can afford, regardless of what other parents, or your child, might say. [S2] If the floor is more than the household can sustain, shorten the list of things it covers rather than promising an amount that gets skipped.
• Use age as the tiebreaker, not the starting point. The Raising Children Network’s own illustration links the amount to age, giving a 5-year-old $5 a week and a 7-year-old $7 a week as an example. [S2] Treat that as an illustration of the principle that responsibility grows with age, not as a rate.
• Decide separately whether chores add anything. Extra paid jobs, if you use them, sit on top of the base amount rather than inside it. That question has its own section below.

Review the amount once a term, when the list of things it covers grows.

What should it cover?

The Raising Children Network lists the sorts of things pocket money can cover: saving for a special game or toy, special outings like the movies, gifts for siblings and extended family members, taking public transport, and buying lunch at school once a week. As children get older it suggests handing over more, for example their phone bill. [S2]

Write a two-column list and stick it where the child can see it: what pocket money now pays for, and what the household still pays for. The Raising Children Network’s first tip is to explain what pocket money is for and what it is not for, and to agree, for example, on what kinds of entertainment are acceptable if entertainment is on the list. [S2] Moneysmart’s needs and wants distinction is the frame for the household column: needs are the everyday things like food, housing and clothing, wants are the things we would like but can live without. [S1] The household keeps paying for needs. Pocket money is where a child practises deciding about wants.

One income, no car, shift work: the list is where those constraints show up honestly. Leave the canteen lunch in the household column and let pocket money cover less.

How often: pick a day and never miss it

The Raising Children Network says to pay pocket money on a set day, weekly, fortnightly or monthly, and to try not to miss a payment. [S2] Moneysmart notes that some parents give pocket money each week. [S1]

For a primary-school child, weekly is the interval that matches how far ahead they can think. Longer intervals come later, and teaching kids about money by age covers why a monthly amount suits a teenager.

Tie the pay day to something that already happens every week, such as the Sunday night bag pack. The Raising Children Network also advises not supplementing pocket money or paying in advance, and if you do, setting up a repayment plan so the child learns about borrowing and lending. [S2]

Should chores come into it?

Both national sources present this as a genuine choice, not a rule.

Moneysmart describes two approaches side by side: some parents give pocket money each week, others link it to certain jobs around the house such as mowing the lawn, vacuuming, making school lunches, hanging out and bringing in the washing, packing and unpacking the dishwasher, washing the car, taking out the rubbish and walking the dog. [S1]

The Raising Children Network sets out the trade-off. Some families feel everyone should help simply because they are members of the family, and linking chores to money can lead to bargaining about how much each job is worth. Other families feel pocket money should be earned rather than given, and payment does motivate some children. [S2]

If you do link the two, the Raising Children Network’s two conditions matter more than the rate per job: keep the paid chores regular, such as tidying the bedroom daily or weekly or putting the bins out each week, and explain them clearly so there is no confusion or bargaining about what needs to be done and when. [S2]

A common household split, covered in age-appropriate chores from 2 to 16, is that basic contribution is unpaid because everyone lives there, and specific extra jobs can be paid. If you go that way, put the paid jobs on the same chart as the routine; chore charts that kids actually use covers making one that lasts.

When to start, and where the money goes

The Raising Children Network says there are no rules about when to start, that pocket money for children as young as four or five helps them start learning about the value of money, and that a child is ready when they can understand that saving matters and that spending everything today leaves nothing until next time. [S2]

For a young child, the money should be visible. Moneysmart says piggy banks work well for younger kids because they can watch their money grow. [S1] The Raising Children Network suggests dividing pocket money into separate jars, bank accounts or pots for spending on small things now, saving for bigger things, and gifts or donations, and gives a 50 per cent saving, 40 per cent spending, 10 per cent donating agreement as one example. [S2] Agree the proportions with the child before the first payment.

Moneysmart adds that as kids get older a savings account can help them learn about banking, saving and interest, and the Raising Children Network suggests depositing an older child’s pocket money directly into their account to get them used to digital money. [S1] [S2] No account, card or app is recommended here.

Write the rules down before the first payment

Four lines on the fridge prevent most pocket money arguments:

• The amount, and the date it will next be reviewed.
• The pay day, and that it is not paid early.
• What it covers, and what the household still pays for.
• Whether any chores are paid, which ones, and what “done” means.

In a household budget the pocket money line belongs in the fixed costs, which is where a family budget that survives a real month puts it.

Pick the pay day this week and pay the first one on it.

How we checked this: Checked on 22 September 2026 against Moneysmart’s teaching kids about money page (run by ASIC, dated 14 August 2026) and the Raising Children Network’s pocket money page (Australian Government funded, dated 18 December 2025). The decision order, the two-column list and the written rules are editorial suggestions. No average pocket money amount is stated because neither source publishes one; the one age-linked figure is the Raising Children Network’s own illustration.

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