Homsy

Chore Allowance Calculator

The guideline most parents have heard is 0.50 to 1.50 per year of age per week, so a ten-year-old lands near 8 a week and 416 a year. Set each child's age and the chores they do, and the calculator shows that suggested allowance, the annual total, the weekly minutes worked, and the hourly rate it quietly implies.

Children

How the allowance is calculated

The suggested weekly allowance is age multiplied by a rate per year of age, rounded to the nearest whole unit: 0.50 up to age six, 0.75 from seven to ten, 1.00 from eleven to fourteen, and 1.50 from fifteen. A ten-year-old comes out at 8 a week and 416 a year; a sixteen-year-old at 24 a week and 1,248 a year. The annual figure is the weekly one times 52.

The important thing about that formula is what is not in it: the chores. Weekly minutes are added up from the jobs you tick and the frequency you choose beside each — a 20-minute vacuum three times a week is 60 minutes — and they are reported, but they never touch the allowance. The two numbers are shown side by side so you can see the implied hourly rate they produce, which is the allowance divided by those hours, and that rate is the one figure here worth arguing with. Ten a week for four hours of work is two-fifty an hour, which is nothing like employment, and the page prints it rather than dressing it up.

The rate bands are ours. Something in the region of a half to one and a half per year of age per week is the guideline most parents have heard, and we have turned it into four brackets so the tool can produce a number at all. It is not a survey, it is not adjusted for where you live or what you can afford, and the ten chore time estimates behind the minutes — 45 minutes to wash a car, 30 to mow a lawn or cook a meal, 5 to take the bins out — are also ours. Treat the output as a starting position for a conversation with the child, which is the only place an allowance is ever really set.

Every figure above was read out of the code that runs on this page. Where a number is our own judgement rather than a published one, the note says so and cites nothing. Method last checked 21 August 2026.

How much allowance is fair

Setting a fair allowance is one of those parenting decisions that feels harder than it should be. Pay too little and kids lose motivation. Pay too much and they don't learn the value of money. The sweet spot depends on your child's age, the tasks involved, and your family budget.

There is published work behind children doing chores: a 2022 study in the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal of 207 children aged 5 to 13 found that doing self-care and family-care chores predicted better working memory and inhibition. That is a finding about the chores, not about paying for them.

This calculator suggests an amount from your child's age, adds up the weekly minutes of the chores you tick, and shows the hourly rate the two imply, so you can decide whether the deal looks fair.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should allowance be tied to chores?
There are two schools of thought. Tying allowance to chores teaches the connection between work and money. Giving a base allowance with bonus chore pay teaches money management while keeping some chores part of family life. This calculator suggests a base amount from age alone and shows the chores beside it, so you can use the figure either way.

What is a reasonable allowance by age?
One rule of thumb is a set amount per year of age per week. The calculator uses rates of its own: 0.50 per year up to age six, 0.75 to ten, 1.00 to fourteen and 1.50 from fifteen, so a 10-year-old gets 8 a week. They are not drawn from a survey; set what fits your budget.

At what age should kids start doing chores?
Children as young as 3-4 can help with simple tasks like putting toys away. By age 6-8, they can take on more responsibility (making beds, setting the table). By 10-12, most kids can handle significant household tasks independently.

How does this compare to minimum wage?
The calculator shows the implied hourly rate for context. Kids' chore rates are typically well below minimum wage, which is appropriate since chores also teach life skills and responsibility. It's a teaching tool, not employment.

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