How much allowance / pocket money for a 17 year old?

[Chicchicchicchiclana]

This would be for general clothing (not special things like coats and trainers) the odd lunch out etc. Not phone (we pay for that separately). He earns £65 a week on Saturdays so we expect him to save some of that and spend the rest on nights out etc.

How much would you give him monthly. We aren't badly off but not in a Mumsnet "scraping to get by on £100k a year" family either.

I would say pay for bus pass and lunch money for college and the phone and basic clothing.

Perhaps if you can afford it contribute to the driving lessons.

£65 a week is pretty good from his job.

(I wouldn't be giving loads more even if I was in a position to do so).

Perhaps if he is hoping to go to uni you could put something away towards that cost to help him in the future.

I pay travel, lunches, phone, clothes, toiletries, plus £35 per month. 16 yo. I'll up this to £50 on his next birthday for 6th form.

Ours weren’t permitted to work during term time, so we did give an allowance. The younger ones had to have an account at the school shop with a certain amount of credit.

They had access to our Amazon accounts for bits and pieces, but always asked first. Toiletries they popped on the online shop.

We paid for phone, contact lenses, , birthday presents for family, clothing (they usually wanted their father to go shopping with them as he’s a softer touch than me). They did a few shopping trips a year rather than dribs and drabs and it usually included a makeup bag refresh.

Then they got about £80 for coffee’s ( outside of school) cinema trips with friends, treats etc. If they wanted/needed more for a special event or occasion, they asked and we negotiated.

Bloody Hell, I got nothing!

To turn it on its head. Have you worked out what you have disposable each as earning adults per month? Is it at least £900 spare unallocated fun money?

Should your DS have more disposable than you, from you?

You mention higher education loans. Are you thinking he will be at home with those loans or will they have to cover accomodation, bills, food transport? Will he then gave £450/ month fun money?

Ours can’t work atm (CV/vaccine issues) so we’re continuing with the £100 monthly allowance until he can work. Thereafter, he’ll manage comfortably on his student loan and part time work.
He’s luckily able to live at home whilst he studies because our relatively local uni specialises in his chosen course. So, he’ll manage without top-ups from us. We will be paying for driving lessons, test and insurance though because it will benefit his career.
I have no idea though how people whose children have to live away from home for their courses are managing it. When I was young, I had a non-repayable grant, not a loan.

Nothing, but if you've got money to give him, save it in an ISA or similar for him for the future. Only exception - if he can be trusted not to spend it, give it to him to save. This would be ideal as he'd be learning the vital skill of delayed gratification.

£260 per month is plenty of disposable income for 17. He'll likely have less than this for the next decade at least...

Today 21:03 Stevenage689

Nothing, but if you've got money to give him, save it in an ISA or similar for him for the future. Only exception - if he can be trusted not to spend it, give it to him to save. This would be ideal as he'd be learning the vital skill of delayed gratification.

£260 per month is plenty of disposable income for 17. He'll likely have less than this for the next decade at least...“

Agree. Ours asked us if we wanted any “keep” from his loan.

My instinct was no because we don’t need it but my husband thinks that we should anyway because money management and budgeting are life lessons. So, once he’s fully vaccinated (he’s CV) and working we are going to asking for a third for housekeeping.
I’ll put it into an ISA/account and he’ll have a starting balance when he graduates.

Can't believe some of you think he should buy everything out of his £65 pw earnings.

I mean, I'm one of the "I think you should put aside the same for him as you did his sibling, to be fair to him" people. I don't think a teenager should be penalised for getting themselves a job. If they choose to work, they should gain what they earn, not 'what they earn, less what they used to get as an allowance' however this statement seems to suggest that this isn't enough money for him

To me, it depends a bit as to what he is doing with his money. My ds and my dd could both earn that sort of money doing one shift a week in 6th form, and ds chose to spend it - mostly going to gigs - and dd saved up for driving lessons when she turned 17 (and bought her first car whilst still in 6th form). Both equally valid, and both their choice, as it was their money.
ds also wanted to learn to drive, and it was a good lesson for him that you can't both spend your money have still have it saved. You can tell them that, but the lesson hits home when it is their money rather than your words.

He gets his hair cut every 4 weeks at £15 each time. We think that's for us to cover too. It will be different if he goes in to higher education and gets a loan.
See, I think this is a good time for him to learn that.
If he wants to spend that much on haircuts, that falls into 'treats' not 'needs' - it is good to learn to budget before your budget has to include things like food.

DS is 17 and earns about £70-£80 a week.

We pay for his mobile contract and he gets £10 a week allowance that is transferred directly into his savings (driving lessons / travelling fund)

We also gave him his child benefit at 16, so we don't have anything else to pay for aside from Christmas and birthday presents.