Pocket money often sparks debate at home. Too early? Not enough? Should chores be paid? Don’t worry: there’s no perfect answer. But there are a few rules that work.
Why give it?
Because you don’t learn to swim by the side of the pool. To learn how to manage money, a child has to have some and make choices with it. A European study on children’s saving found that regular pocket money, guided by parents, is one of the most effective ways to raise lifelong savers.
How much?
In 2025, Budget Advice Switzerland (Budgetberatung Schweiz) raised its guidelines for the first time in 20 years. In short:
Age 6: CHF 3 a week.
Ages 7 to 9: CHF 4 to 7.50 a week.
Ages 10–11: CHF 36 to 40 a month.
Ages 12–14: CHF 50 to 70 a month.
From 15: a larger amount that covers some expenses (clothes, phone, going out).
Something new and interesting: these guidelines include a small share set aside for saving from age 6.
The amount matters less than regularity and what it has to cover. Say it clearly: “With this you pay for your sweets and trading cards. I don’t any more.”
Should it be “earned”?
Our advice: keep the two apart.
Basic pocket money is fixed: it’s their “apprentice wage” to practise with.
Extra small jobs (washing the car, helping in the garden) can be paid. They discover that effort creates value, and that earning more is possible through their own efforts.
Normal family chores (laying the table, tidying their room) aren’t paid: we do them because we live together.
Three mistakes to avoid
Topping up as soon as it’s all spent. They learn that budgets don’t exist.
Deciding for them what to buy. Their money, their choice (within safety limits).
Forgetting payday. Regularity is your side of the deal.
Try this tonight with your child
Write a little “pocket money contract” together: the amount, the day, what it covers, and the extra jobs they can do. Both of you sign it. They’ll feel treated like a grown-up, and they’ll act like one.
Further reading
Bucciol, A. & Veronesi, M. (2014). Teaching children to save: What is the best strategy for lifetime savings? Journal of Economic Psychology, 45.
Guidelines: Budgetberatung Schweiz, pocket money recommendations 2025.
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