# Allowance model

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

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.

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.

- Area: Money, chores and responsibility
- Evidence: Experts disagree
- Best settled: School age
- First published: 2026-10-03
- Last updated: 2026-10-05
- Page: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/topics/money-chores-and-responsibility--allowance-model

## Allowance model: what are the options?

1. **None, money as needed**: The child has no allowance and you buy what they need.
2. **Unconditional allowance (Lieber)**: The child gets regular money not linked to chores, as writer Ron Lieber recommends.
3. **Tied to chores**: The child is paid for doing chores.
4. **Hybrid: base chores unpaid, extra jobs paid**: Everyday chores are unpaid and the child can earn by doing extra jobs.
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:

- [interview](https://melindawmoyer.substack.com/p/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-money)
- [Mandell](http://lewismandell.com/child_allowances_-_beneficial_or_harmful)

## 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?

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General information, not medical advice. Two parents can each answer this and compare: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/explore?cat=money-chores-and-responsibility&topic=money-chores-and-responsibility--allowance-model