- The average weekly payment is £7.75, equivalent to £403 a year, with £5 to £9.99 the most common amount.
- Three-quarters (75%) of parents link at least some pocket money to chores, while cleaning the car is the best-paid task at £3.66 on average
- Tara Evans, personal finance editor at Confused.com, shares her tips for making pocket money work for every family budget
Parents who give pocket money pay £7.75 a week on average-equivalent to £403 over a year, new research from Confused.com reveals.
The survey of 1,000 UK parents of children aged 4 to 16 found that 66% currently give their child regular pocket money. A further 8% have done so in the past and 19% plan to start in the future.
Among parents who currently give or previously gave pocket money and provided an amount, the most common weekly payment is £5 to £9.99 (38%). More than 1 in 5 (21%) pay £10 or more, while 8% give less than £2.
According to the research, children start receiving pocket money at 7 and a half years old on average. More than half (53%) begin between the ages of 5 and 8, while around 1 in 10 (9%) start before their fifth birthday.
Confused.com Pocket Money Index 2026
| Measure | 2026 benchmark |
|---|---|
|
Average starting age
|
7.5 years
|
|
Average weekly pocket money
|
£7.75
|
|
Annual equivalent
|
£403
|
|
Most common weekly amount
|
£5–£9.99 (38%)
|
|
Paid weekly
|
64%
|
|
At least partly linked to chores
|
75%
|
|
Paid in cash
|
66%
|
|
Always or often encouraged to save
|
76%
|
When it comes to how parents are rewarding their children, pocket money remains mostly physical, with 66% of families using cash. But digital is catching up, with 34% using a children's debit card or app and 32% paying into a children's savings account.
For 55% of pocket-money families, some money is linked to chores and some is given regardless. A further 20% say their child earns all of it through chores, while 25% do not connect payments to household tasks at all.
Among parents who pay for each task, cleaning the car commands the highest average reward at £3.66. Gardening (£3.57) and helping with younger siblings (£3.52) follow, while making the bed earns the least at £2.60.
Average payment by household task
| Chore | Average payment |
|---|---|
|
Cleaning the car
|
£3.66
|
|
Gardening
|
£3.57
|
|
Helping with younger siblings
|
£3.52
|
|
Laundry
|
£3.18
|
|
General cleaning
|
£3.10
|
|
Vacuuming
|
£3.00
|
|
Taking the bins out
|
£2.95
|
|
Feeding pets
|
£2.82
|
|
Tidying their bedroom
|
£2.80
|
|
Washing up/loading the dishwasher
|
£2.79
|
|
Making their bed
|
£2.60
|
Teaching children to manage money is the main reason parents give pocket money (36%), followed by encouraging saving (27%). Spending independence (18%) and rewarding help around the house (16%) are less common motivations.
Sweets and snacks are the most common purchase, named by 58% of parents, followed by saving for a bigger purchase (47%) and toys (43%). Gaming (34%), books (28%) and clothes (25%) also feature.
Parents believe the benefits go beyond spending. Three-quarters (75%) think pocket money helps children learn to save, 67% say it teaches the value of money, and 67% point to responsibility. Budgeting is selected by 61%, and 58% say pocket money supports better spending decisions.
Pocket money is a great way to help teach children about money. Children can start learning about money from as young as 3 through everyday activities such as playing shop, comparing prices and seeing how cash and cards are used.
To help parents with how to educate their children about real money skills, Confused.com has created an age-by-age guide on how to teach children about money.
Tara Evans, Personal Finance Expert at Confused.com, said:
“You don’t have to pay a lot of pocket money for it to still be a worthwhile lesson. Start with an affordable amount. If pocket money is linked to household tasks make sure you’re clear about what it covers.
“Younger children may find coins or labelled jars easier to understand, while older children might prefer an account or app. If you choose a children’s card or app, check any fees, age limits, parental controls and cash withdrawal rules first.”
“The aim is not to make every decision for them. Agree a few boundaries, then let children make smaller choices themselves-even if they occasionally regret a purchase. Those low-stakes mistakes can be a valuable part of learning how to manage money.”
“Pocket money is a great way to help children understand the real value of money from a young age. Though there are other ways to get these important money lessons across too, through activities like playing shop to comparing prices in the supermarket. We’ve created an age-by-age guide on how to teach children about money, offering parents some inspiration on how to get their kids involved from a young age.”
-ENDS-
OnePoll surveyed 1,000 UK parents of children aged four to 16 between 29 July and 5 August 2026 on behalf of Confused.com.
Media information
Confused.com press office
chloe.walters@confused.com
katharine.adair@confused.com
pressoffice@confused.com
About Confused.com
Launched in 2002, Confused.com was the UK’s first digital marketplace for car insurance and is one of the leading brands in the sector, generating over one million quotes per month. It has expanded its range of comparison products over the years to include home insurance, van insurance, motorcycle insurance, and car finance comparison, as well as a number of tools designed to save consumers money.
Confused.com is not an insurance company or lender. It provides an objective and unbiased service. By using cutting-edge technology, it has developed a series of intelligent web-based solutions that evaluate a number of risk factors to help customers with their decision-making, subsequently finding them great deals on a wide-range of insurance products, financial services, utilities and more. Confused.com’s service is based on the most up-to-date information provided by UK suppliers and industry regulators. Confused.com is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
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