There's no official amount of pocket money by age in Australia. A rule of thumb many parents use is about $1 per week for each year of age, so $8 a week for an 8-year-old. Treat that as a starting point, then adjust for your budget, what the money has to cover and what your child is ready to manage.
The amount matters less than the habits it builds. Here is how to pick a number, whether to tie it to chores, how to split it, and what kids can realistically handle at different ages.
In short: there's no official amount, but a common rule of thumb is about $1 a week for each year of age. Adjust it for what the money has to cover, what you can keep paying every week and fairness between siblings, then decide whether to link it to chores and how to split it into spend, save and give jars.
How much pocket money should kids get at each age?
The "$1 per year of age per week" idea is popular because it's simple and grows with your child. It's not based on any official guideline, and plenty of families give more or less. Government money guides speak in general terms instead; Canada's Financial Consumer Agency, for example, suggests choosing an amount that suits your child's age and raising the amount, or how often you pay it, as they grow.
Here is how it looks as a rough guide:
| Age | Rule-of-thumb weekly amount | What it might cover |
|---|---|---|
| 5–6 | $5–$6 | Small treats; first saving goal |
| 7–8 | $7–$8 | Treats, small toys, saving for something bigger |
| 9–10 | $9–$10 | Canteen treats, toys, games, gifts for friends |
| 11–12 | $11–$12 | Outings with friends, some clothes or hobby costs |
| 13–14 | $13–$14 | More of their own spending: outings, apps, some clothes |
Adjust it based on three questions:
- What does it need to cover? If pocket money also pays for school canteen, transport or clothes, it needs to be bigger. If it's only for treats, it can be smaller.
- What can you sustain? A smaller amount you pay every week teaches more than a bigger amount that gets forgotten.
- Is it fair across siblings? Kids notice. Scaling by age is easy to explain: "You'll get more when you're older, just like your sister did."
If you'd like to try different amounts, our pocket money calculator lets you play with ages, chores and how the money is split.
Should pocket money be linked to chores?
This is the big question, and families answer it differently. There are three common approaches:
- Pocket money separate from chores. Kids get a set amount every week. Chores happen because everyone helps at home. This keeps the focus on learning to manage money.
- Paid per job. Each chore earns a set amount. It links effort and reward directly, but some kids start asking "what do I get?" for every small task.
- A base amount plus extras. A small weekly amount covers everyday jobs like making the bed and clearing plates. Bigger jobs, like washing the car or helping in the garden, earn extra.
None of these is the right answer for everyone. We go through each one in more detail, with scripts for explaining it to kids, in Allowance and Chores: Should You Pay Kids for Chores?. It's written for North American families, so "allowance" means pocket money. Whichever you pick, a printable chore chart makes the agreed jobs easy to see.
Whichever you choose, keep self-care (brushing teeth, packing your own school bag) outside the pay system. Those are just part of growing up.
How do save, spend and give jars work?
Splitting pocket money into jars makes money visible and gives every dollar a job. The same Canadian guide suggests one jar for money to spend and one or more for money to save. A common setup:
- Spend. For small things now, like a treat at the shops.
- Save. For a bigger goal, like a toy, a game or a day out.
- Give. For a cause your child chooses, a gift for someone, or a donation.
There's no set ratio. Some families split it evenly. Others put most into spend for younger kids, so they see quick results, and move more into save as kids get older. Let your child help choose the split; they'll stick to a plan they helped make.
Clear jars work especially well for young children, because they can watch the coins pile up. Draw or stick a picture of the saving goal on the save jar.
Let them make small mistakes with small money now. It's cheaper than big mistakes later.
What kids can manage at different ages
These are general guides, not rules. Your child's maturity matters more than their birthday.
Ages 4 to 6. Money is still abstract. The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau notes that children aged 3 to 5 are usually too young to understand abstract financial concepts. Coins they can hold and jars they can see work best. Keep goals small and close, so a child can reach one in a week or two. Count the money together. Shopping trips are a good time to show that things cost money and that once it's spent, it's gone.
Ages 7 to 9. Kids can count, compare prices and wait a bit longer for something they want. School helps here: the Australian Curriculum has Year 3 students learning how dollars and cents relate and showing amounts in different ways. This is a good age to start a regular weekly amount and a saving goal that takes a few weeks. Let them choose what to buy, even if you'd choose differently. Disappointment with a cheap toy that broke is a useful lesson.
Ages 10 to 12. Kids can plan ahead, handle bigger goals and take on some regular costs, like canteen treats or birthday presents for friends. Some families open a bank savings account at this age so kids can see their balance grow. Talk about needs and wants, and about how ads and in-app purchases try to get them to spend.
Ages 13 and up. Teens can manage a larger amount less often, say fortnightly or monthly, and take responsibility for more of their own spending, like clothes, outings or phone credit. A simple budget helps. Some teens start earning outside the home, and pocket money can shrink as their income grows.
Cash or digital pocket money?
Cash and jars are hard to beat for young children, because they can see and touch money. As kids get older and more spending happens online or by card, many families move to digital pocket money.
Several apps and prepaid cards in Australia are designed for kids' pocket money, usually with a parent app to send money, set limits and see spending. If you look at one, check:
- Fees. Monthly fees or top-up fees can eat into small amounts.
- Parental controls. Can you set limits, block certain types of spending and see what's been bought?
- Age requirements. Many have a minimum age.
- Privacy. What data is collected about your child, and is it shared?
A sensible path is cash and jars when they're young, then a digital option when they're old enough to understand that tapping a card is still spending real money.
FAQ
How much pocket money should a 10-year-old get in Australia? There's no set amount. Using the $1-per-year-of-age rule of thumb, that's about $10 a week, but adjust for your budget and what the money has to cover.
Should I pay pocket money weekly or fortnightly? Weekly is easier for young kids to follow. Teens can often manage fortnightly or monthly, which also teaches them to budget across a longer period.
Should I take away pocket money as punishment? Many families avoid this, because it mixes money lessons with discipline. If pocket money is linked to chores, not doing the chores can mean not earning, which is a natural consequence rather than a punishment.
When should my child get a bank account? Many families open a savings account somewhere between 8 and 12, when a child understands saving for a goal. Check with your bank about accounts for children.
Keeping track of chores and rewards
If you link pocket money to chores, KudosNest, the family app we're building, can keep the chore side tidy: you set chores for each child, approve them when they're done, and your child swaps points for rewards you choose, whether that's screen time, choosing dinner or pocket money. It tracks points only and never holds or moves money, so pocket money stays between you and your child. It's not out yet; there's a waitlist.
Whatever amount you choose, the weekly habit of earning, saving and choosing is what teaches the lesson.
Sources
- Teaching children about money — Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, 2025
- Money as You Grow: Young children — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2026
- Australian Curriculum: Mathematics, Year 3 (Version 9.0) — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), n.d.
