Allowance by Age Calculator: How Much to Give Your Child
Find a weekly, biweekly or monthly allowance for your child by age: the “$1 per year of age” rule, typical 2025 amounts by age, or your own amount, split into spend, save and give, with a year-by-year plan to age 18, savings with a parent match and interest, and a total for siblings.
How it works
Weekly = age × amount per year (or the typical amount for the age, or your own amount) · Per payment = weekly × weeks per payment (1, 2, 52 ÷ 24 or 52 ÷ 12) · Save = payment × save % · Give = payment × give % · Spend = the rest · Savings each year = 52 × weekly × save % × (1 + match %), growing at the interest rate
A common starting point is a dollar per year of age each week, so a 10-year-old gets about $10. It is easy to remember, matters to the child, and rises on its own each birthday. Many families use 50 cents per year instead, and you can set any rate. The second method uses typical amounts: in 2025 data from US families using the Greenlight kids’ card, the average was about $6 a week at age 5, $8.53 at 10 and $25 at 18, so the $1 rule is above average for preteens and below it for older teens, when allowances usually start covering lunches, outings and clothes. Pick your own amount if you already know your budget; the yearly raise then grows it in the plan. The calculator converts the weekly amount to your pay schedule (every 2 weeks, twice a month = 52 ÷ 24 weeks, or monthly = 52 ÷ 12 weeks), splits each payment into spend, save and give, and builds a year-by-year plan to age 18 with the savings balance, an optional parent match (for example 50% of what is saved) and interest compounded yearly, with deposits made through the year earning about half a year’s interest. Add other children’s ages under More options for a family total. All amounts are guides; local prices and what the allowance covers matter more than any rule.
Worked example
A 10-year-old at $1 per year of age gets 10 × $1 = $10.00 a week, paid weekly. With 20% saved, $8.00 is spending money and $2.00 goes to savings each week; the year adds up to $10 × 52 = $520.00. That is 17% more than the typical $8.53 a week at age 10. Following the rule each birthday until 18 (ages 10 to 17) pays $5,616.00 in total, and saving 20% of it builds $1,123.20 by age 18.
Sources: Greenlight: average allowance by age for kids (2025 data) · Wealthsimple: how much allowance by age · Money Prodigy: how to set a kids’ allowance
Frequently asked questions
How much allowance should a 10-year-old get?
The $1-per-year rule gives $10 a week. In 2025 data from US families using a kids’ card app the average at age 10 was about $8.50 a week, and many families pay $5 to $10. What the money must cover matters most: if it pays for school snacks or outings, it should be higher.
Is a dollar per year of age the right amount?
It is an easy baseline, not a rule. It is a little above typical amounts for children under 13 and below typical amounts for older teens, whose allowance often covers more. Adjust the rate for your budget and local prices.
Should allowance be tied to chores?
Families differ. Some pay a flat allowance and treat chores as family duties; others pay per completed chore. A middle path pays a base amount plus extra for optional bigger jobs.
How should kids split their allowance?
A spend, save and give split builds money habits. Common splits are 80/20 (spend/save), 70/20/10 or 50/40/10. Set the save and give shares here and see what is left to spend.
At what age should you start giving an allowance?
Many parents start around age 5 or 6, once a child can count and recognize coins. Start small and weekly; move to every two weeks or monthly as children learn to plan.
Should parents match their child’s savings?
A match (for example 50 cents for every dollar saved) is a simple way to show how saving grows money. Set it under More options to see the effect on savings by 18.
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