Should Pocket Money Be Linked to Chores?

No question divides parents more than this one. Should pocket money be linked to chores, or paid because your child is part of the family? The honest answer is that it’s not a yes or no question. It’s a design decision.

Here’s how I think about it. Plus how I run it at home with my own girls at 6 and 8.

The three approaches:

1. Fully linked to chores. Chores done, pocket money paid. Nothing done, nothing paid. Clean link between effort and reward. Risk: your child stops helping around the house unless there’s money on the table.

2. Fully unlinked. Pocket money gets paid weekly regardless. Chores get done because they’re part of family life. Teaches contribution as a value. Risk: they never make the connection between effort and being paid, which is a real world lesson.

3. Hybrid. Some chores are unpaid (just what we do). Others are opt-in with a small payment attached. This is what is most recommend, and it’s what I run at home.

Why the hybrid works

The hybrid teaches two lessons at once. Contribution is the price of being part of a family. Effort is the price of extra money.

At my house, chores include:

• Unpaid (expected of being family): making beds, clearing plates after meals, setting the dinner table, feeding the dog.
• Opt-in (paid extras): weeding the garden, washing outdoor toys, watering the plants.

The girls know pocket money is coming Sunday regardless. They also know if they want extra, there are jobs to pick up.

What to pay for the extras

Whatever you decide to pay, you need to ensure the amount fits into your budget and there is motivation for your kid to earn some money (whether as part of their pocket money amount or additional to it).

Interesting to note is that outdoor jobs consistently pay more than indoor ones. According to one study, mowing the lawn averages twelve times more than making the bed! 

The bigger frame

Whichever model you pick, the biggest predictor of whether pocket money actually teaches your kids anything is the weekly system around it. Small money moments build lifelong habits.

That’s what I’ve built into Paid or Not Paid? Sorting Kit. It’s $7 and does all the hard work for you:

• Jobs sorted across four age groups
• Never Pay / Consider It / Pay lists
• The awkward grey area jobs
• Suggested pay rates by age and job size
• An earning ceiling so your child's sudden enthusiasm doesn't destroy your budget 😂
• 7 ways kids can earn money that aren't chores
• Scripts for when parents disagree
• A script for enthusiastic grandparents
• The 5 loopholes kids will find, and the line that closes each one
• Your own blank sorting sheet
• A rate card

👉 Get Paid or Not Paid? Sorting Kit here