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Allowance model

Whether your child gets regular pocket money and on what terms: none, a set amount unconditionally, pay tied to chores, or a mix where basic chores are unpaid and extra jobs earn money.

Should we give an allowance, and should it be tied to chores?

In short: Parents choose between 5 main approaches: None, money as needed; Unconditional allowance (Lieber); Tied to chores; Hybrid: base chores unpaid, extra jobs paid; Earn-only. Evidence: experts disagree. Credible bodies or researchers disagree — decide whose guidance you'll weigh. Best settled: school age.

Evidence
Experts disagree
Best settled
School age
Part of
The family system

Allowance model: what are the options?

Parents usually land on one of these 5 approaches.

  1. 1. None, money as needed

    The child has no allowance and you buy what they need.

  2. 2. Unconditional allowance (Lieber)

    The child gets regular money not linked to chores, as writer Ron Lieber recommends.

  3. 3. Tied to chores

    The child is paid for doing chores.

  4. 4. Hybrid: base chores unpaid, extra jobs paid

    Everyday chores are unpaid and the child can earn by doing extra jobs.

  5. 5. Earn-only

    The child gets money only by working for it.

Allowance model: what does the evidence say?

Experts disagree. Credible bodies or researchers disagree — decide whose guidance you'll weigh. (Contested (thin evidence))

Lieber argues against tying it to chores; one survey found the lowest financial literacy among unconditional-allowance teens, by a small margin

Sources

What else is worth knowing?

An allowance is regular money given to a child. Some families tie it to chores; others keep the two apart so that chores are not a job the child can decline. Either way it gives a child practice in handling money.

Questions to ask each other

  • What did we get as children and what did it teach us?
  • Should money be tied to chores?
  • What can our child spend freely?

More in Money, chores and responsibility

First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.