How much pocket money is appropriate at which age, why it should be paid without conditions and how children learn from it what parents cannot otherwise teach: deciding, waiting, regretting.
In short
- Reference values 2026: age 6 one to two euros a week, age 10 €20 to €25 a month, age 14 €35 to €45, age 17 €60 to €80.
- Pocket money is neither wages nor punishment: not for grades, not for chores, no cuts as a sanction.
- From 10 monthly instead of weekly, from 12 an own account with a card.
- Budget money from 14: clothes, phone, travel pass managed by the child with a fixed amount.
The guide
German youth welfare offices recommend the following reference values for 2026: under 6 years 50 cents to one euro a week, 6 to 7 years €1.50 to €2.50 a week, 8 to 9 years €2.50 to €3.50 a week, 10 to 11 years €20 to €25 a month, 12 to 13 years €25 to €35, 14 to 15 years €35 to €50, 16 to 17 years €50 to €80, from 18 €80 to €100 if the child still attends school and lives at home. The range depends on family income and on what the child is meant to pay from it.
Why pocket money
Children do not learn money by explanation but by deciding. Whoever has €20 and wants the toy for €30 learns waiting. Whoever spends everything on day one learns regret. Whoever saves learns interest if the parents pay some. That only works if the money belongs to the child: no questions, no comments, no rescue after a bad purchase. Mistakes with five euros are cheaper than mistakes with five thousand.
The rules
Pay on time and unprompted, best on a fixed day. Do not tie it to grades, behaviour or chores; pocket money is a learning tool, not wages. Do not cut it as punishment; there are other means. No advances; whoever gets an advance learns the overdraft. No conditions on use except safety and law. And: bring grandparents into the rule, otherwise gifts undermine the system.
The account
From 12 a current account on a credit basis with a card, free at almost all banks, opened with both parents and ID. The child sees the balance in the app, pays by card and learns that money is gone even when invisible. Parents keep access until the child comes of age. A children’s credit card is unnecessary; a debit card suffices.
Budget money
From 14 the child takes over its own spending areas with a fixed budget: clothes at €50 to €80 a month, phone contract, travel pass, school supplies. Whoever wants the €120 jeans saves for two months or takes one for €40. That is adult logic in a protected frame and the best preparation for the first salary.
Side jobs and holiday jobs
From 13 light work with parental consent, from 15 holiday jobs of up to four weeks a year, from 16 mini jobs. The income belongs to the child. It does not count for child benefit and up to €556 a month not for tax and social contributions. Whoever works decides themselves whether pocket money falls; most parents leave it unchanged because the job is responsibility, not replacement.
Try it yourself
Budget PlannerEnter net income and fixed costs: the 50-30-20 split, your savings potential and when your savings goal is reached.Frequently asked questions
Should both children get the same?
No, by age. The younger gets less and knows it rises with age. That is fairer than equal.
May I intervene in a purchase?
For safety, law and values, yes. For taste, no. The child may buy the toy you find ugly.
What about money gifts from relatives?
Up to €50 they belong to the child to spend, above that into the savings account or portfolio, with the child involved in the decision.
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