How Much Allowance Should I Give?

Pick a number that creates a real choice

The amount should be enough that your child can buy something they want, but not enough that they can buy everything. The stretch is where the learning lives.

For a younger child, a few coins a week is plenty. For a teenager, the number should reflect the things they are now expected to cover themselves.

Decide what it is for

Allowance can be pocket money, a share of a family budget, or payment for extra jobs beyond normal contribution. All three work, but they teach different things.

Be explicit about which one you are doing. Ambiguity is what turns allowance into a monthly argument.

Add a split, not just a pile

Splitting money into keep, save, invest and give turns a weekly payment into a repeated lesson about trade offs.

It also removes the temptation to spend it the moment it arrives, because part of it was never meant for spending.

Adjust deliberately

Revisit the amount as your child grows and as what they pay for changes. Do it at a planned moment rather than in the middle of a disagreement.

Telling your child in advance what will change and when turns a negotiation into a plan.

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