Should allowance depend on chores?

By SGWNI. Checked 1 November 2026.

Most parents who give an allowance tie it to chores, but the advice splits. A common compromise is to keep everyday chores unpaid and pay for bigger jobs.

What families do

In a 2019 AICPA and Harris Poll survey, 80% of parents who gave an allowance said their children had to do at least some chores for it. In a 2015 T. Rowe Price survey, 85% of children with an allowance had to earn it.

The case for linking them

Raising Children says some families feel money should be earned, and that it motivates some children. The American Academy of Pediatrics says parents may consider tangible rewards tied to finished chores, such as an allowance or stickers.

The case against

Utah State University Extension says to think twice: it may not work for every child, and some parents would rather chores were simply part of being in a family. Raising Children adds that linking the two can lead to bargaining over what each chore is worth.

The compromise

Utah State and Raising Children both describe it: everyday chores stay unpaid, and bigger jobs such as washing windows or raking leaves earn extra.

What to do either way

Keep chores regular and clear, so everyone knows what counts as done.
Decide before you start which jobs are simply part of family life, and which ones earn money.
Don’t cut an allowance as a punishment.

If you pay

Greenlight says most parents price chores by time and effort. Its suggested list for teens runs from $0.50 to $1 a day for making a bed to $10 to $20 a week for mowing the lawn.

Agree the price before the job starts, and pay promptly. The chore chart maker totals the most your child can earn in a week, and works without money too.

Keep track of it in Akoro

Akoro pays a chore’s reward into your child’s balance when you tick it off, or leaves the reward out if you’d rather. Missed chores never take money away. Chores are part of Akoro Pro.