How much should you pay for chores?
There's no right number. It depends on your budget and what you want the money to teach. Here are three setups families commonly use:
- Pay per chore. Small daily jobs pay a little, like 10¢ to 50¢. Bigger weekly jobs pay more, like $1 to $3 for mowing or cleaning a room. This is what the chart above is set up for.
- Age-based weekly amount. A common rule of thumb is $1 a week for each year of age, so a 7-year-old gets $7. Chores then earn the full amount, and missed chores take some away.
- Everyday jobs plus paid extras. Things like making the bed are part of living in the house and aren't paid. Extra jobs like washing the car earn money.
Tips that make it stick
- Pay on the same day every week so they can count on it.
- Let them tick the boxes themselves. Seeing the checks add up is half the motivation.
- Keep the list short, 4 to 6 chores, so earning the full amount feels possible.
- Try splitting the money into jars: spend, save and give.