In short: Pocket money is not a legal requirement but a recommendation. Younger children get small amounts weekly in cash; older children get larger amounts monthly. In Germany, youth-welfare-office guidance tables offer orientation. More important than the exact amount: pay regularly, let the child decide freely, and never tie pocket money to rewards or punishment.
Pocket Money for Kids: How Much and When? | Kontoo
Pocket money is your child's first own wallet – and the cheapest chance to practise handling money while the amounts are still small. It's less about the number than the attitude behind it.
Pay regularly and reliably. A fixed day (Friday, start of the month) makes money predictable. Having to ask for it again undermines the lesson.
Scale with age. Rough orientation: small children a few euros per week in cash, teenagers a larger amount per month. In Germany, the youth-welfare-office pocket-money tables give concrete figures – as a recommendation, not a rule.
Cash for small children, an account for teenagers. Coins you can touch make money tangible; from around secondary-school age a current account with a card helps keep track.
Let the child decide – bad buys included. An empty wallet three days before the next payout is the lesson. Buy it away, and you buy away the learning.
Don't tie it to behaviour. Pocket money isn't pay for grades or good conduct, and not a lever. Otherwise every bit of support turns into a negotiation.
Add a clothing budget later. For older teens, a larger amount covers items like clothes or a phone – so they practise planning over a longer stretch.
Older children learn faster when they can see their money. In Kontoo you can set up a small pot together for pocket money and savings goals – stored locally on the device, no account needed.
In depth
Why there's no single "right" number
In Germany there is no legal duty to pay pocket money and no officially fixed amount. The well-known pocket-money tables come from youth welfare offices and family organisations and are explicitly recommendations meant for orientation. They differ by source and by year and get adjusted as prices rise. So treat them as a starting point for a conversation, not a fixed rule. What fits your family depends on the parents' income, where you live and what the child is expected to pay for out of the money. The core idea behind every table is the same: small, frequent amounts for little children, larger and less frequent ones for teenagers.
From cash to a budget
For younger children cash is ideal, because they can touch it, count it and watch it shrink – a six-year-old doesn't yet grasp an abstract account. The interval should be short: if the next payout is four weeks away, a small child can barely plan that far ahead, so a weekly payout fits better. Moving up to secondary school shifts both: a monthly payment and a current account of their own train them to spread money over longer periods. A sensible next step is a clothing or living budget: instead of paying for each jacket separately, a teenager gets a fixed amount to cover clothes, going out or the phone themselves. That's the most realistic rehearsal for running a household later on.
The most common mistakes
The costliest mistake is preventing bad buys. If the whole amount goes on sweets on day one, the disappointment afterwards is the actual lesson – and it costs a few euros now instead of an overdraft later. Step in with a top-up and the child learns that money always appears from somewhere. The second mistake is tying pocket money to grades, chores or good behaviour. Small tasks around the house are part of living together and aren't paid; once pocket money becomes wages or punishment, you'll soon be negotiating over everything. The third mistake is irregularity: paying sometimes and forgetting other times robs the child of the chance to plan – and planning is exactly what they're meant to practise.
Education, not advice. How we work and check figures: Editorial. Figures as of 2026, last reviewed 07/04/2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much pocket money is appropriate?
There is no legally fixed amount. In Germany the youth-welfare-office tables serve as orientation: small amounts weekly for younger children, larger amounts monthly for teenagers. What fits depends on your budget and on what the child is expected to pay for.
From what age should you give pocket money?
Usually from pre-school or early primary-school age, once a child understands that money is exchanged for things. To start, small weekly amounts in cash are enough.
Weekly or monthly payouts?
Weekly for small children, because they grasp short periods better. Around the move to secondary school a monthly payout makes sense – it trains dividing money over a longer stretch.
Should you pay pocket money for good grades or chores?
Better not. Pocket money should flow independently of performance and behaviour. If it becomes a reward or punishment, every bit of support turns into a negotiation. Small household tasks are simply part of living together.
What if the child spends everything at once?
Let them. An empty wallet before the next payout is the cheapest lesson there is. Replace the money and you remove the learning. Top-ups come on schedule, not on demand.
What is a clothing or living budget?
A larger, fixed amount for older teenagers, out of which they pay for certain items themselves – such as clothes or a phone. It lets them practise planning over weeks before they earn their own money.
All lessons · Glossary · Editorial · Kontoo does the math and explains – this is general education, not tax, legal or financial advice.
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