Allowance: how much to give by age

"Mom, can I have 20€?" — If you hear that sentence three times a week, it might be time to switch to pocket money.

Pocket money isn't just handing your child a few notes. It's the first concrete tool for teaching them to manage, to choose, and sometimes to go without. Skills that aren't taught at school — and that are far easier to build at age 8 with 3€ than at 25 with an overdraft.

What age should you start?

There's no absolute rule, but here's what works for most families:

Ages 6-7: The child starts to understand that money is exchanged for things. It's the right time for small weekly amounts (1 to 2€). They learn to count, to wait, and to make simple choices.

Ages 8-10: They can move to a slightly larger weekly payment (2 to 5€). They start saving up for a toy or a book.

Ages 11-13: Switch to a monthly payment (15 to 30€). This is where real money management begins: they have to spread their money across an entire month. Their first budgeting exercise.

Ages 14-17: The amount goes up (30 to 50€) and can cover certain expenses like outings with friends, snacks, or phone credit. More responsibility, more independence.

How much to give: practical benchmarks

Amounts vary by family, region, and cost of living. Here are ranges that come up often:

These figures aren't carved in stone. The idea is that the amount should be enough for the child to face real choices, but not so much that they never feel any constraint.

Two markers to help you adjust: if your child never has to give anything up, it's too much. If they can never afford anything even after saving for several weeks, it's not enough.

What does the law say?

A few useful pointers, because the question comes up often:

• Money given to a child belongs to the child. Parents manage it until they come of age, but permanently taking away their savings is not legally trivial.
• A minor can carry out "everyday transactions" on their own: buying a magazine, a sandwich, a game with their pocket money. That's precisely what makes pocket money both legal and educational.
• No law sets an amount or an age. Pocket money is a parenting choice, not an obligation.
• On the banking side, a savings account can be opened from birth, and most banks offer a payment card with parental controls from around age 12.

Cash, app, or bank card?

Three schools of thought, each with its advantages:

Cash: concrete, visible, perfect for ages 6-10. A child who watches their piggy bank empty out physically understands what spending means. Downside: no history, and coins get lost.

Teen cards (Pixpay, Kard, and the banks' own offers): convenient for kids 14 and up who go out on their own. Downsides: one more subscription to pay, and money becomes abstract very early.

Tracking in the family budget app: pocket money lives in the same tool as the family budget. The child sees their balance, their savings goals and their chore earnings; parents pay with one click, in real money or as a virtual balance converted to cash on demand. That's FamBudget's approach: educational, no bank card at age 10, and no extra subscription.

The right choice depends on age: cash to start, shared tracking as soon as the child can read a balance, a card once they're genuinely independent when out and about.

The ground rules that work

Pay on a fixed date

Like a salary. The same day, every week or every month. The child learns that money arrives predictably and that they have to make it last until the next payment.

Don't top it up

If they've spent everything by the 10th of the month, they wait until next month. It's hard, but it's the most valuable lesson. Next time, they'll think before buying.

Exception: if it's a genuine need (school trip, supplies), that comes out of the family budget, not their pocket money.

Don't tie it to school

Paying for good grades or docking pocket money over a bad one mixes up two different things. Pocket money teaches financial management. School is a separate matter.

Let them get it wrong

Your 9-year-old wants to blow their entire piggy bank on a toy that will break in 3 days? Warn them, but let them decide. They'll learn more from that mistake than from any lecture.

Household chores: to pay or not to pay?

This is THE debate among parents. Here's a middle-ground position that works well:

• The baseline isn't paid. Tidying their room, setting the table, doing homework: that's normal participation in family life. If everything comes with a price tag, nothing is free anymore — not even doing someone a favor.
• Extra missions can be. Washing the car, weeding the garden, helping with a big clear-out: one-off tasks, on top of the baseline, with an amount announced in advance.

This distinction teaches two things at once: you contribute to your family without expecting anything in return, and extra work deserves pay. The key is to be clear and consistent — the list of paid tasks and their amounts is not up for renegotiation at payment time.

Learning to save: goals

Saving really clicks when there's a concrete goal. "Save your money" means nothing to a child. "Save up for that 45€ game controller" — now that speaks to them.

Help them set a goal:

1. What do they want to buy?
2. How much does it cost?
3. How much can they set aside per week/month?
4. How long until they get there?

When they see the progress — 15€ saved out of 45€ — the motivation is tangible. And the day they buy the item with their own money, the pride is real.

Weekly or monthly?

Weekly for the youngest (ages 6-10). A week is a manageable horizon. A month is an eternity when you're 8.

Monthly from around ages 11-12. It prepares them for how money actually works: a salary arrives once a month, and you have to make it last.

The transition can be gradual: every two weeks for a few months, then monthly.

The classic mistakes

Giving too much. If the child never has to give anything up, they learn nothing. The goal isn't for them to have everything — it's for them to make choices.

Giving on a case-by-case basis. "Here, take 5€ for the outing" every time they ask is the worst model of all. The child learns to ask, not to manage.

Never talking about it. Pocket money without conversation is just a transfer. Take 2 minutes now and then: "Where are you at? Saving up for something?"

Making money taboo. The more at ease you are talking about it, the more at ease your child will be. Adapt the conversation to their age, but don't dodge the subject.

Involving your child in the family budget

From around age 10-11, you can start involving your child in some family budget decisions:

• How much are we planning for the holidays?
• We have 100€ for Christmas gifts — how do we split it?
• This week's grocery budget — shall we try to stay under 80€?

It's not about pressuring them. It's about showing them that money is about choices. And that in a family, you make those choices together. To go further, our complete family budget method explains how to set it all up in five steps.

FAQ — your pocket money questions

At what age should a child get a bank card?

Most offers start around age 12, but the relevant age is when your child regularly goes out and pays on their own — often 13-14. Before that, a card adds abstraction without benefit: shared tracking in an app is more than enough.

Should I control what they buy with their pocket money?

Watch, discuss, but don't censor harmless purchases. Pocket money teaches nothing if every decision has to be approved by the parents. Keep a veto for anything involving safety or screens, and be upfront about it.

What about money from grandparents and birthdays?

Agree on a rule before the question comes up: for example, half goes to savings, the rest is theirs to spend. Windfalls are the perfect opportunity to learn the savings/fun split.

Should the amount go up every year?

An annual review is enough — their birthday is a good marker. Increases should mainly track changes in scope: when your child starts paying for their own outings or phone top-ups, the amount needs to follow.

What if the two parents disagree on the amount?

Align with each other before talking to the child, even on an imperfect compromise. Two different amounts depending on the parent guarantees permanent negotiation — and the child always wins that game.

In summary

Pocket money is an educational tool. Not a reward, not a punishment, not a luxury. It's your child's first hands-on experience of managing money.

Start small, pay regularly, let them make mistakes, and talk about it openly. The rest will follow.