Should kids get paid for chores? 3 models and how to choose

Should kids get paid for chores? There is no single right answer, but most guidance points to a hybrid: a regular pocket money amount that is never cut for behaviour, everyday family chores that are simply expected, and optional extra jobs that can earn a bonus. The best model depends on your goal: money skills, effort, or both.

Here are the 3 models, how to choose, and what child and family bodies say.

Should kids be paid for chores at all?

Money and chores teach different things. Pocket money is practice in managing money: choosing, waiting, saving. Chores are practice in contributing to a shared home: everyone eats, so everyone helps clear up.

When the 2 are fully merged, the message can drift from "we all help" to "I help when I want money". When they are fully separate, some children see no reason to do anything beyond the basics. A useful first step is to name your main goal:

• Money skills: you want your child to have a predictable amount to manage.
• Effort and initiative: you want extra work to feel worth doing.
• Both: you want reliable pocket money and a fair way to earn more.

Your answer points to 1 of the 3 models below.

What are the 3 ways families link money and chores?

A quick way to choose:

1. Do you want your child to practise managing a predictable amount? If no, commission can work, especially for an older child saving for something specific.
2. If yes, do you also want to reward extra effort with money? If no, choose fixed pocket money with unpaid family chores.
3. If yes, choose the hybrid, and write down which jobs are family jobs and which are paid extras.

Model 1 example: fixed pocket money. For example, a family with a 6 and a 9 year old pays both children every Saturday morning, without being asked. The 6 year old sets the table and feeds the cat. The 9 year old clears the plates and tidies their room. A skipped job is handled like any other family rule, and the money never changes.

Model 2 example: commission. For example, a family with an 8 and a 12 year old keeps a price list on the fridge. Watering the plants, sorting the recycling and washing the car each have an agreed price. It works while the 12 year old saves for a bike. After a birthday, with plenty of gift money, the 12 year old stops doing jobs, and the 8 year old asks to be paid for carrying their own plate. Some apps, such as BusyKid in the US, pay allowance through chores; our comparison with BusyKid and guide to chore apps explain the options.

Model 3 example: hybrid. For example, a family with a 5 and a 10 year old pays a small base amount every week. Making the bed, putting dirty clothes in the hamper and setting the table are family jobs, expected and unpaid. The 10 year old can also pick extras from a list agreed in advance, such as raking the leaves or helping wash the car, each with a bonus fixed before the job starts. The 5 year old earns stars for extras instead of money.

Which chores should stay unpaid family jobs?

A simple rule: if the job exists because you live together, it stays unpaid. That usually covers 2 groups.

Self-care: brushing teeth, getting dressed, making the bed, putting shoes away. Nobody gets paid for looking after themselves.

Shared family jobs: setting the table and clearing it, tidying shared rooms, feeding the family pet.

The American Academy of Pediatrics gives age examples on HealthyChildren.org: children aged 5 to 7 can make their beds and set and clear the table, 8 to 10 year olds can add vacuuming and helping make dinner, and 11 to 12 year olds can clean the kitchen, change bedsheets and do and fold laundry (AAP, Age-appropriate chores for children). Those everyday tasks make a good base list of unpaid family jobs. See chores by age and the chore library for more.

What counts as an extra paid job, by age?

An extra job goes beyond the daily routine: bigger, occasional, or something you would otherwise do yourself. For the everyday family jobs at each age, see chores by age. Agree on the list together and write the value next to each job in advance.

The help wash the car, rake the leaves and cook a simple family meal quests break these jobs into steps.

How much should an extra be worth? No official rate exists, so use a method. Set the value relative to weekly pocket money (the pocket money calculator gives typical amounts by age), so a big job is worth more than a quick one. Keep the total of extras smaller than the base amount, so the base stays the main money lesson. The count your pocket money quest helps children check what they earned.

What do child and family bodies advise?

The German Youth Institute (DJI) says children should get a small sum at regular intervals, unprompted and regardless of behaviour (DJI, Taschengeld). The Familienportal NRW, whose amounts follow a 2025 DJI recommendation, adds that pocket money should be paid at reliable, regular intervals so the child can plan, and that the amount should be free of conditions (Familienportal NRW).

Nibud, the Dutch institute for family finance information, describes pocket money as mainly meant for learning, and says it should never serve as a wage or as a punishment. It suggests giving the same amount at a fixed time (Nibud). The Austrian government portal publishes guide amounts, weekly for 6 to 10 year olds and monthly from 10, and leaves the final amount for each family to agree (oesterreich.gv.at).

The American Academy of Pediatrics calls praise the most effective way to motivate a child, and suggests praising effort over the result. It also says parents may consider tangible rewards like allowances and stickers tied to completed chores, and recommends adding 1 new task at a time.

So the European bodies protect a reliable base, and the AAP leaves room for rewards tied to effort. The hybrid respects both.

What if a child refuses chores and says "keep the money"?

This is the classic weakness of commission. If money is the only reason to help, a child who has enough money has no reason left. What helps:

1. Take everyday jobs off the price list. Family jobs are expected whatever the savings balance.
2. Keep extras truly optional. Saying no to an extra is fine: it simply earns nothing.
3. Explain the why once, calmly. Everyone uses the kitchen, so everyone helps clean it.
4. Use routine instead of fines. "Table set, then tablet" works better than a deduction.

More ideas: motivating kids without bribes.

Can stars or points replace money for younger kids?

Yes, for many younger children. Nibud notes that children can recognise the different coins from about age 6, which it calls a good age to start pocket money. Before that, stars or points give the same visible link between effort and reward, without coins.

Give 1 star per job, agree on rewards together (choosing Friday dinner, a trip to the park) and keep the goal visible. Our reward ideas, printables and reward chart maker help you start.

In Kidventures, kids earn stars for each quest, parents approve in 1 tap, and children pin a goal from the rewards you set together, with different quests for school days and weekends. For families ready to track real savings, the Plus plan adds a savings jar with a weekly bank day. For the bigger picture, see pocket money basics and reward systems for kids.