Going rate for pocket money

[Sundance65]

Just a quick - what is the going rate for pocket money for 9 year old?

And dependant on chores or not dependant on chores?? Enough to save for bigger items or just a bit of fun money?

I imagine there are lots of variations of views.

We have never given a set regular amount but feel it's probably the right time.

£100 a month !!!😵😵😵

Mine started getting pocket money at about 9, at which point they got £10 a month. This doubled to £20 a month on starting secondary school, and then goes up by £5 a month on each birthday. They also get an additional £50 each over the school summer holidays, because they are going out more, so need extra spending money - I give them this in two installments of £25, one in July and one in August, midway between monthly pocket money pay dates, to make sure it doesn't all get spent in the first week.

Not linked to chores because a) they are part of the family, and I expect them to do chores anyway and b) I didn't want to give them the option of deciding not to do the chores if they weren't bothered about having the money!

My 9 yr old DD gets £1.50 a week - she is supposed to fold and put away her pyjamas to earn this. She only remembers to do this about 50% of the time. I know one of her friends gets a fiver a week. I have told her I am willing to increase her pocket money only when she consistently does the very small job she has been asked to do in order to earn it - until then it stays the same. If she behaves especially badly during the week (which is rare to be fair) she may not get her pocket money at all. She gets bought treats sometimes when we are out and about, she doesn't want for anything, I don't see the need to increase it too much. She needs to learn to save up and that money doesn't grow on trees.

Mine have always had a small amount to spend on what they want each week with no strings attached and then if they want more, they can earn it.

So at 12 they got £2 a week automatically but if they emptied the dishwasher and tidied the kitchen up, they would get another £2, hoovering the downstairs would be another £2 and so on.

£2 a week not linked to doing anything.

£100 a month !!!😵😵😵

For a 17 year old to cover transport, clothes, shoes, toiletries, socialising, hobbies & her phone? I'd say that's pretty good - child benefit plus an extra £10 a month. Certainly far less that her friends' parents who pay for everything & then chuck then a token £20 'spending money' every month. By the time she goes to university she'll be pretty good at budgeting. Now it's her money she's spending (& when it's gone it's gone) she can save & manages not to constantly fritter money.

A 17yr old being given £100 a month is ludicrous. Why are they not working and earning money themselves?!
I had a weekend/after school job from 14 years old. When I hit 18 I was then expected to contribute financially to the house (not a massive amount but around £30 per week)
Dishing out cash to older teens doesn’t teach them anything!

I struggle with this too, it is so hard to judge. Following

£10 a month, hers to lose if she doesn't keep her room tidy etc.

7 and 6 year olds get £1 to spend, £1 to save and £1 to donate each week. Spends usually goes on sweets or football cards, save goes towards souvenirs on holiday or a bigger toy, donate gets used for non uniform days/church/school fair.

13 year old gets £30 a month he tops up his phone from that.

18 year old doesn't get anything regular at the moment. She works, we pay for college stuff and give her the odd £10 towards taxi/food etc.

My DC get a set amount each week but can earn more by doing chores. At 9 it was £3 a week.

@Wildlingofthewest

I’d rather a 17 year old was studying and doing well in A-Levels than worrying about money and contributing to the household. Just because your experience worked for you doesn’t mean other systems won’t work well for others.

FWIW I grew up in poverty and got a job at 16 or I’d have had no money at all. I worked all Saturday and Sunday, some evenings and in holidays I worked more.

It certainly eased the financial burden of my mum. Unfortunately it took us a bit longer than ideal to realise my A-Levels were being very detrimentally affected.

Mine aren’t teens yet but once they get to a certain age I plan of providing a clothing allowance quarterly (which they’ll shop with me for), and an allowance for everyday spending but the option of earning more with specific chores, although they will have ‘named chores’ which they will have to do regardless.

No wonder we have some many self entitled kids when we have parents throwing money at them without them having them having to lift a finger to earn it
At 17 your little darling should understand the value of money - I.e how hard it is to earn. Working isn’t just about earning money either - it builds character and allows youngsters to learn how to handle themselves outside of their usual family or friendship groups.
I appreciate that you want your kids to focus on exams etc but they need life and work experience- not just wrapped up in cotton wool and given everything.

5 DC's

3 year old obviously gets nothing.

11, 13 and 16 year old get £7 per week, (£1 for each day they do their job which is on a weekly moving rota so they all get a turn doing each job) It was £3.50 until they were 10, then went to £5, then turned to £7 when they hit 11.

18 year old gets nothing, I'm not paying another adult to do housework in a house they live in. (He does have an actual part time job as well as college though)

We pay for their phone contracts though, that's separate. This is purely spending money for "junk"

We give a pound for your age per month. So my 9 year old gets £9.
We found that when we went to monthly payments, the DC wanted to save their money, whereas when we gave them a couple of quid weekly, they were straight down to the shops to spend it on magazines and sweets.

DS(10) gets £5 per week and we just ask that he completes his homework and tidies his room once per week.

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Mine get £1 to per year of age per month. Until 10. Then at 11 they get a sim only contract (£4 ish) plus their £10. Plenty so far but we're in a village with little opportunity to spend and DCs are 8, 10 and 11. Will need more as teens I'm sure!

Oh and not dependent on anything, but then they will do something if I ask, so...
They tend to spend it on sweets and snacks or small toys, pokemon cards... DS1 spent his on a new guitar jack and plectrums this month.
Big things they buy with birthday money.

Mine gets £1 fit each year of his age - so he’s 11 and gets £11 a week, most of which he saves. He also gets a £15 mobile top up per month

Sometimes they spend the lot in a week, sometimes like this month it lasts the month. Sometimes they buy a big thing,, other times they like to come to poundland - if they buy junk and sweets they have it instead of pudding and not all in one go.

Mine aged 11 and 14 get x amout per month, this can then be doubled by then doing they’re agreed jobs. One makes breakfast 3 x per week, the other sorts recycling etc.

My DD is nearly 9 and gets €5 per week.

I think £100 per month is a really good idea for a 17 year old. My mum gave me the child benefit she received from when I was 15. Like the posters child, this had to cover toiletries, make up, clothes, socialising with friends etc. It's encouraging a 17 to budget, so I think it's a good thing. I also went on holiday with my friends and saved for that.

I don't know many people who had jobs when they were 17 and studying, bar in the summer holidays.

Wow amazing tips I can adapt myself with!
Presently my 8 old gets £2.50 a week. Started off with £1 wk from 5 yrs old and inflation 50p a year. The extra earning incentive started last year and so far touch wood it’s going well.
I tell her SKY’S THE LIMIT! But in reality she earns an extra £1-£2 ontop of that weekly.
20p for emptying the waste paper baskets around the house each time avg 2 x a week. 50p for helping set the table for dinner but has to be everyday to get the 50p. 10p each time for helping me fold the laundry and so on.
I am not knocking other parents but I personally don’t mix responsibility with chores. I feel there is a line to be drawn as responsibility teaches kids to be balanced and mindful whereas pocketmoney and earning incentives teaches them a life skill where finances are concerned. (However I respect and appreciate some kids will have certain needs ie, ADHD so parents financially rewarding responsibile behaviour is lovely).
My kids are rewarded for being responsible each week with a small treat at the end of the week, getting to school on time, keeping their rooms clean, putting toys away, picking up after themselves, hangings their coats up, putting shoes awayetc is their responsibility. So for that they can visit the sweety shop every Friday after school or go for a McFlurry at McDonald’s or save up for a bigger treat such as cinema in half term holidays. 9/10 it’s the sweety shop!! If they want to buy something which costs more then their pocketmoney i help them workout how many weeks they have to save for to get it. Generally what they want fluctuates from week to week but I try to encourage saving part and spending part to prepare them for future. As God help me for wanting to bang my head against a brick wall every time I wished i had saved more then I spent getting to the age I am!
We also have a fine/deduction plan in place for when money is deducted in extreme circumstances. Usually it’s when or if they break something ie,by playing ball indoors when told not to and break a lightbulb, although I try not to implement it as much as I don’t want them feeling disheartened and discouraged from incentive for earning and at times depending I will give them a choice. Money deducted or a punishment which can range from confiscation to early bedtime.
Teaching kids from a young age is essential and it’s hard being a parent or single parent as I am to keep these matters in order and trust me I have slipped many times, I’m not perfect and sometimes I feel like I’m doing a shoddy job but I find this is good discipline for me too. I’m so glad I read this thread and I see a good variety of practice by parents. Lastly I’m sorry for going on. It’s my first time posting on here!!

I've just got a charge card for DS (nimble) and will charge it up with his weekly spend/pocket money. Then at least I know he isn't spending it all on sweeties.