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
Total Weekly Allowance
Total Annual Budget
Total Chore Hours / Week
Age Benchmarks
Average weekly allowance in Western Europe and North America.
Ages 4-6
€2-4/wk
Ages 7-9
€4-7/wk
Ages 10-12
€7-12/wk
Ages 13-18
€10-20/wk
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.
Research shows that children who do chores develop stronger work ethic, better time management, and greater self-reliance. A 75-year Harvard study found that childhood chores were one of the strongest predictors of professional success in adulthood.
This calculator helps you set age-appropriate expectations and fair compensation. It considers the time each chore takes, your child's age, and provides benchmarks so you can see how your family compares to typical households.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should allowance be tied to chores?
What is a reasonable allowance by age?
At what age should kids start doing chores?
How does this compare to minimum wage?
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