It's common as kids and teens get older for them to start thinking about how to earn extra pocket money. However, as your child can only get a part-time job once they turn 13 doing paid chores can be a popular way to make money.
If you feel conflicted over paying for chores, bear in mind that paying teens to do tasks can be a valuable way for them to learn the power of earning alongside real-life skills, like responsibility which will help them when they leave home.
Earning also allows them to recognise the link between work and earning. Beth Zemble, VP for Education at GoHenry agrees, “As teens develop and begin to make financial decisions to reach their goals, the need to include money that they have earned (rather than been given) in their spending plans helps them to understand both the value of earning and the connection between their labour and the financial gain.
Helping your kids and teens find the best ways to make extra income will also help send home the message that hard work pays off. Here's how your kids earn their pocket money.
Related: How much pocket money should we give to kids?, GoHenry pocket money app
Teenagers and kids can make extra pocket money in many ways, such as:
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Babysitting siblings
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Tutoring siblings
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Washing cars
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Gardening
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Household tasks
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Laundry
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Helping with meals
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Hoovering the house
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Changing their bedsheets
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Cleaning windows and mirrors
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Taking the bins out
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Sweeping
To see our full list of pocket money ideas, read on to find out.
How kids and teens can request pocket money
At some point, the conversation about pocket money will likely come up, which is why it helps to be prepared and know the benefits of pocket money and your own position on it.
Pocket money is a great way to teach your kids about money management and financial responsibility, so start by encouraging your kids to think about what they are prepared to do around the house to earn their pocket money. They can talk to their friends or research what other kids in their area are paid for chores. This will give them a good understanding of what they can offer and how much they can earn.
Take it one step further with teens and ask them to approach the conversation with a plan. They should explain what they want the extra money for, what they will use it for and how they plan to earn it. For example, they might want to buy new clothes or have money to pay for cinema trips with their friends or even save for a bigger ticket item. From this point, they can then suggest ways to earn pocket money.
Of course, opinions on paying children for chores can vary from family to family. Some parents believe everyone should pitch in with chores without getting paid, while others believe kids and teens should earn their pocket money.
Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to pay your kids for chores is up to you. But if you're looking for a compromise, you could pay for extra tasks outside of the chores you expect your kids to do or find other ways for your teens to make pocket money.
Whatever you decide:
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Start small and gradually increase the amount of pocket money you give your child. Doing this will help them learn the value of money and how to manage their finances.
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Set clear expectations about what chores/tasks your kids need to do to earn pocket money. This will help avoid arguments and misunderstandings.
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Be flexible and willing to negotiate.
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Use pocket money as an opportunity to teach your kids about financial literacy. Talk to them about the importance of saving, budgeting, giving and investing.
How much pocket money should kids and teens ask for?
There's no hard-and-fast rule regarding how much pocket money kids and teenagers should get at what age. How much pocket money you decide is suitable will depend on your family's budget, the tasks they will be expected to do, their age and what the pocket money will pay for. Our research found that in 2023, the average weekly pocket money for teenagers in the UK by age is:
Age 6 - £3.04
Age 7 - £3.26
Age 8 - £3.67
Age 9 - £4.12
Age 10 - £4.90
Age 11 - £6.21
Age 12 - £8.14
Age 13 - £10.31
Age 14 - £12.15
Age 15 - £13.76
Age 16 - £14.68
Age 17 - £14.48
Age 18 - £12.28
For some kids and teens, pocket money earnings depend on their chores. Here are some of the most popular tasks and the going rate for each job:
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Tidying room - the average per task is £1.02
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Making the bed - average £0.81
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Load / empty dishwasher - average £0.88
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Put clothes away - average £0.71
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Homework - average £1.18
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Brush teeth - average £0.72
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Read every day - average £0.96
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Rubbish/recycling - average £0.77
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Get ready for school - average £0.77
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Feed pets average - £0.92
If you don't want to pay your kids and teens for chores, teens can always consider making money in the summer or making money online.
What are the benefits of pocket money for kids and teens?
When kids and teens bring up pocket money, it can be helpful to highlight some of the many benefits of earning pocket money. For example:
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Financial decision making: Pocket money gives kids and teens the ability to learn about budgeting, spending, saving and money management.
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Teaches financial responsibility: Pocket money can help your child learn the value of money and how to manage their finances. They will learn to budget, save, and spend their money wisely.
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Developing independence: Pocket money can help your child develop a sense of independence as they will learn to make their own decisions about how to spend their money, and they can buy the things they want or need without asking you for money.
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Promoting responsibility: Pocket money can help your child learn responsibility as they will be responsible for doing chores to earn their pocket money, and they will be responsible for managing their own money.
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Encourages saving: Pocket money can encourage your child to save for a specific item, such as a new toy or a video game.
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Building self-esteem: Pocket money can help your child build self-esteem. They will feel good about themselves when they can earn money and buy what they want.
Chore ideas to make pocket money
When kids and teenagers start earning pocket money by doing housework tasks, it can be challenging to keep track of what they have done and haven't. This is where a chore chart or chore cards can come in handy. If you're still wondering about chores to give your child or teen, here's our best chore list.
1. Babysitting siblings
Depending on age and maturity, many teens can earn pocket money by babysitting their young siblings. It could start with just a couple of hours during the day and then build up until both teens and parents feel confident to leave them home alone for longer periods.
2. Tutoring siblings
Helping younger siblings with reading, spelling, and general homework is another excellent way for teens to earn pocket money and take some pressure off them.
3. Washing cars
Save yourself the hassle and additional expense of taking your car to the car wash and pay kids' and teens' pocket money to give the family car a good wash and clean. Be sure to set expectations for how you want the job done.
4. Gardening
Depending on their age and ability, many kids and teens can help with various gardening tasks, from mowing and weeding to watering and planting.
5. Household tasks
Kids and teens can also help with various housework tasks, including tidying, dusting, and putting things away after they use them (especially in the kitchen).
6. Laundry
Get kids and teens to help with laundry, as there are a wealth of tasks here. Smaller kids can help carry laundry and load the washing machine. Teens can help empty the washing machine, hang clothes to dry, and sort and fold dry clothes.
7. Cooking meals
All kids can help with mealtimes. Younger kids can help you, while older kids can offer to cook a meal once or twice a week. Cleaning up after everyone has eaten can be another task that kids are paid for, and older teens can go shopping for groceries.
8. Hoovering the house
Younger kids may be able to do light household chores like dusting and tidying. At the same time, teens can hoover the house and mop floors.
9. Changing their bedsheets
Changing bed sheets is an underrated life skill that all kids should learn to do. Young or old, kids can help change their sheets and learn to put duvet covers and pillowcases on as a paid chore.
10. Cleaning windows and mirrors
Everyone loves clean mirrors, so show your kids how to clean these with no streaky marks. Internal downstairs windows are the next step forward for older teens.
11. Taking the bins out
Bins may not be anyone's favourite job, but according to The GoHenry Youth Economy Report taking the bins out has a going rate of around £0.76. You could delegate responsibility for recycling too.
12. Sweeping
Getting the brush out and sweeping around the house gets your children outside and into the fresh air. Younger kids could offer to sweep up grass cuttings and leaves in the autumn.
13. Looking after pets
Whether it's cleaning the fish tank, feeding the cat or playing with the dog - looking after their pets is a good task for kids of all ages. Give them the responsibility, and ensure they follow through.
14. Watering plants
Helping to look after house plants is another great chore. Show your kids how to water each plant before you start. Too much water and plants may die; not enough, and they will go the same way.
15. Cleaning their room
This is a classic chore that all kids should learn how to do (but many avoid). Younger kids can learn how to make beds and put away their clothes and toys. Teens can learn to dust, wipe, and declutter their rooms.
16. Running errands
Errands are a great way for kids to learn independence and responsibility. Teens can run errands like going to the grocery store or post office for you. Younger kids can post letters or get things for you around the house.
17. Replacing toilet rolls, and soap
Running out of bathroom supplies is a pet hate for many parents. Task your teen or child with ensuring bathrooms are stocked every day,
18. Bringing dirty mugs and plates to the kitchen
A classic teen chore, ensure that all mugs and plates are brought down from their rooms daily and placed in the dishwasher.
19. Dishwasher duties
Ask kids and teens to take charge of loading and unloading the dishwasher and putting items away in their correct place.
20. Your pet peeve
In every family, one chore drives parents crazy; it could be empty milk cartons in the fridge, wet towels on the bathroom floor, crumbs on surfaces or lights left on. Whatever it is, make this a chore and task your child or teen with it!
How GoHenry can help
If you're struggling to motivate your child or teenager to do their chores, GoHenry can help. With GoHenry, you can assign and keep track of chores with the paid tasks feature. This also allows you to set rewards so your teens receive pocket money when they mark tasks complete. This is a great way to encourage your teen to learn the importance of responsibility and the value of money.
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What age should I start giving pocket money?
