🫙 How much allowance for a 13-year-old?

Allowance at 13, by rule of thumb

Jars split 50/40/10. Dollars here, but the arithmetic is the same in pounds, euros or any currency.

How long to save up, from the save jar

Saving $5.20 a week (the save jar at $1 per year of age), with and without 2 cents in every dollar a week of parent-paid interest.

Try your own numbers in the savings goal calculator.

How much allowance for a 13-year-old?

At 13, allowance stops being a few coins and starts being a real budget. A simple rule of thumb is half their age in dollars each week: $6.50. That comes to about $28.17 a month or $338 a year. It suits a family who wants pocket money for small extras and keeps everyday spending inside the household budget.

A second rule is a dollar per year of age: $13 a week, about $56.33 a month or $676 a year. A third is one and a half per year: $19.50 a week, about $84.50 a month or $1,014 a year. The right number depends on what you expect the money to cover and what your household can afford.

Do not treat the number as permanent. Start where you can, then raise it when your child takes on more, such as paying for outings or phone extras. A 13-year-old who has never had $13 in a week may need a lower start. A teenager already buying snacks and bus fares with friends may need the middle or upper rule.

What the allowance should cover

At this age, allowance commonly covers outings, snacks and transport with friends. That means the movie ticket, the slice of pizza, the bus or train ride, and the small top-ups that come with a social weekend. It can also cover some clothes or a clothing budget, and their phone extras or subscriptions.

Write down what is inside the allowance and what is not. Food at home, school basics and family trips can stay outside. If the allowance is meant to cover clothes, say whether it covers everything or only extras, like a second pair of sneakers. If it covers phone extras, list which ones.

Be ready to adjust the amount when you move a cost into their budget. If you hand over the clothing budget, the number has to change. If you keep paying for the phone plan and only the extra data comes from allowance, say so. The clearer the boundary, the less the allowance feels like a test.

Spend, save and give

A default split is spend 50 / save 40 / give 10. At $13 a week, that is $6.50 to spend, $5.20 to save and $1.30 to give. Use three jars, three envelopes or three lines in a notes file. The money has a job before it arrives, so it does not vanish on the first trip out.

Saving works better with a goal. From the save jar only, $20 takes 4 weeks. $50 takes 10 weeks. $100 takes 20 weeks. $250 takes 49 weeks. If you pay 2 in every 100 a week as family interest, the same goals take about 4, 9, 17 and 35 weeks. That is a parent's top-up, and you can stop it when the lesson lands.

Giving does not have to be a lecture. Let your 13-year-old choose the cause. The give share is $1.30 a week at the $13 level. The habit of setting it aside before spending is the real skill. If giving feels forced, let a give jar build for a few months and choose together.

Tying it to chores, or not

There is no single rule that fits every family. Two common approaches are to keep everyday chores unpaid and pay for extra jobs, or to pay a small base allowance plus points or money for jobs. Pick one rule and keep it consistent, because a 13-year-old will notice immediately if the rules move.

Everyday chores are the ones that come with living in the house. At 13, that can include brushing their teeth morning and night, getting dressed, laying out clothes the night before, packing their own bag, keeping track of homework, waking up with their own alarm and changing a light bulb. Shoveling snow might be a paid extra job in winter. The line you draw matters less than drawing it clearly.

If you tie allowance to chores, keep the base predictable and the extra jobs optional. A child should not lose bus fare because they skipped a paid extra job, unless you have all agreed that the allowance is purely a job payment. If you keep chores and allowance separate, say that too. 'We do not pay for brushing your teeth. We do pay for shoveling the walk.'

Money skills to practise at 13

A weekly or monthly budget is the main skill at 13. Keep it small enough to finish. A page with three columns, money in, money out and money left, is enough. Once a week, ask what they spent and what they wish they had skipped. The goal is a teenager who can see where the money went.

Needs versus wants is easier with real examples. The bus to school is a need. The extra snack on the way home may be a want. The phone plan may be a need, while a second subscription is a want. Let them make small mistakes with wants now, while the amounts are small.

Show what a subscription costs in a year. A weekly charge is not just this week's money. Multiply it out together, then compare it with a saving goal. A budget split by category and maybe a first bank account with a parent can help them track it. Review the statements together so the numbers stay real.

Keeping it simple and fair

Pick a day and pay on it. Weekly is easier at 13 because the feedback comes faster. Monthly can work if your child can plan, but it needs a calendar and a check-in halfway through. Write down the amount, what it covers and the split. A short agreement on the fridge beats a long lecture.

Review every few months, and after birthdays or a change in responsibilities. If the allowance is meant to cover more, raise it. If it is spent before Wednesday on snacks and then borrowed, look at the coverage first, not just the child's character. Sometimes the amount is too low for the job. Sometimes the job is too broad.

Fairness between siblings does not mean identical amounts. A 13-year-old and a 9-year-old have different costs. Fairness means the same rules: the same payday, the same split and the same clarity about what is covered. Keep the system simple enough that you will actually keep it. A plain number, a regular day and a short review will do more than a perfect plan you abandon.

Questions parents ask