Pocket Money in the UK: How Much, and When to Start

There's no government guidance on pocket money — it's entirely a family decision. What we can offer instead is real data on what other UK families actually do, so you're benchmarking against reality rather than guessing.

What UK children actually get, by age

NatWest's Rooster Money Pocket Money Index tracks real transaction data from hundreds of thousands of children's prepaid cards — not a self-reported survey, so it reflects what's actually paid rather than what parents say they intend to pay. Regular weekly pocket money by age (most recent published figures):

Including chore pay and bonuses on top of regular pocket money, total weekly income is higher — around £4.58/week at age 6 rising to £7.30/week at age 11. These are averages, not targets; plenty of families pay more or less, and both are fine.

When to start

There's no fixed "right" age. Many UK families start somewhere around the early school years (roughly age 5-7), once a child has enough number sense to understand that money can be saved, spent or lost — but starting earlier or later than that is common too.

Chores-linked or unconditional?

Both approaches are widely used and there's no strong consensus either way:

• Unconditional pocket money treats it as a basic allowance, separate from behaviour or contribution — the argument being that helping around the house is a family expectation, not a paid job.
• Chore-linked pocket money ties some or all of it to specific tasks, with the argument that it teaches a direct link between effort and reward.

Many families land on a hybrid: a small unconditional base amount, with extra available for additional tasks — which mirrors the "regular pocket money" vs "overall income including bonuses" split in the real UK data above.

What tends to work well in practice

• Keeping the amount small enough that running out has real, low-stakes consequences to learn from
• A simple, consistent schedule (weekly tends to suit younger children better than monthly, since a month is a very long time to a 7-year-old)
• Letting a child make their own small spending mistakes rather than intervening every time

Chores-for-pay: the great pocket money debate

The two schools: pocket money as a right (teaches money management; family jobs are done because you're family) versus earned (teaches that money comes from work). The evidence-informed middle that many families land on: a small unconditional base (the money-management practice), plus optional paid extras beyond normal expectations (washing the car, not making their own bed). What most agree spoils the system: docking pocket money as a behaviour punishment — it converts a financial-literacy tool into a discipline lever and teaches children to hide mistakes rather than manage money.

Cash, app or hybrid?

Under about age 8, physical cash wins — the research on money psychology is clear that handing over coins teaches scarcity in a way taps never do, and a clear jar beats a piggy bank (watching the total grow is the point). From 8–11, pocket-money apps and cards (GoHenry, HyperJar Kids, NatWest Rooster, Revolut <18) add real usefulness: parents automate payments, children see balances, and spending works online where their spending increasingly is. The hybrid many run: digital for the base amount, cash for extras and grandparent top-ups. From 11, a proper children's bank account costs nothing and does most of what the paid apps do — the apps' fees (£3–£4/month on some) buy the chore-tracking and parental controls, not the banking.

The saving habit, made concrete

Abstract "saving is good" bounces off children; mechanisms stick. The classic three-way split — spend / save / give jars, in whatever ratio the child chooses — turns every pocket-money day into a decision. A parental "matched interest" scheme (add 10p per pound still saved at month's end) teaches compound growth better than any explanation. And the most powerful lesson remains the unrescued mistake: the toy that broke in a day, mourned and remembered, outperforms every lecture about waiting and comparing before you buy.