Short answer
There's no single right answer. Families usually choose one of three setups: an allowance that's separate from chores, a steady base allowance plus paid extra jobs, or pay for each agreed chore. Whichever you choose, keep everyday family contributions and your child's essentials out of the deal, agree the rules before the first payday, and review them after a month.
Both are true, which is why the question comes up in so many families.
Compare three allowance approaches
- Allowance separate from choresYour child gets a set amount on a regular payday. Chores are part of living in the family and aren't paid. What it teaches: managing money. Your child gets a predictable amount and practises choosing what to do with it. Watch for: your child may not see a link between effort and money yet. You can add that later, or talk about it when they see you work. Suits: younger children, and families who want money conversations to stay about choices, not tasks.
- Base allowance plus paid extra jobsThe base allowance works like approach 1. On top of it, your child can earn more from jobs that go beyond everyday contributions, like washing the car or raking leaves. What it teaches: managing money, plus a first taste of earning. Extra money is a choice your child makes, not a condition of the base. Watch for: the list of paid jobs creeping into things that used to be expected. Decide in advance which is which. Suits: children who are saving for something bigger and want to get there sooner.
- Allowance tied to choresMoney is paid for agreed tasks. No task, no pay for that task. What it teaches: a direct link between work and money. Watch for: chores that only get done for money, and paydays that turn into arguments about whether a job counts. If your child decides they don't need the money this week, the chores may not get done either. Suits: older children who already manage money well and want to earn more, especially if the jobs are real ones you'd otherwise pay for.
Separate everyday responsibilities from paid jobs
Whichever approach you choose, it helps to sort the work into two lists before you start, and keep one thing off both:
Everyday contributions: not paid
- Making the bed
- Clearing their own plate
- Putting toys away
- Packing their school bag
Extra jobs: can be paid in approach 2 or 3
- Washing the car
- Raking leaves
- Shovelling the walk
- Sorting the recycling for a month
Essentials: always yours
- Food
- Clothing
- School needs
- Anything else you'd always provide
Everyday contributions are things everyone in the family does because they live there. Extra jobs go beyond that: things you might otherwise do yourself or pay someone for. Your child's essentials stay with you, whatever happens with chores. Money for chores is extra practice, never the price of something they need.
What everyday contributions and extra jobs can look like
These are examples, not a chart your child has to complete. Adjust them for your child and your home.
- EverydayPut toys away, help set the table
- Extra jobUsually none; at this age, money practice matters more than earning
- EverydayMake the bed, clear their plate, feed a pet with help
- Extra jobHelp wash the car or pair the socks from a big load
- EverydayPack their school bag, tidy their room
- Extra jobRake a section of the yard, wash the windows they can reach
- EverydayHelp with dinner once a week, take out the recycling
- Extra jobWash the car on their own, weed the garden
- EverydayDo their own laundry, clean the bathroom they use
- Extra jobShovel the driveway, babysit a younger sibling while you're home
Earning outside the home
Older children may want to earn from people outside the family. The FCAC's examples include babysitting, pet sitting, dog walking, shovelling snow, selling items they no longer use, yard work and tutoring younger students. For a child under 13, start with jobs for people you know, close to home, and with you nearby.
Whatever they earn can go into the same plan as their allowance. Earned money is still money to split, save and spend with thought.
Choose what fits your family
Some questions to talk through before you decide:
- What's the allowance for?
If it's mainly for learning to manage money, approach 1 or 2 keeps that steady.
- Can you pay reliably for extra jobs?
If you add paid jobs, you need to pay for each one, on time, every time.
- What happens when a chore isn't done?
Decide this before payday. In approach 1, everyday contributions are a family expectation, and you handle a missed one the way you'd handle any other. In approach 2, the base doesn't change; the extra job just isn't paid. In approach 3, that task's pay isn't earned that week.
- Who chooses the extra jobs?
A short list your child picks from works better than jobs assigned on the spot.
- How will you price a job?
Set prices in advance, for the job, not for the time it takes. A bigger job pays more.
A worked example: Leo, age 9
Leo gets a $6 base allowance every week (approach 2). His everyday contributions are making his bed, clearing his plate and feeding the cat. He's saving for a $40 scooter helmet and lights.
His parents offer two extra jobs: raking the front yard for $4 and washing the car for $3. Both are optional.
- $6base allowance a week
- 10 weekssaving $4 of the base
- $8a week, with the yard work most weeks
- 5 weeksto the helmet
The choice is Leo's. If he skips the yard work one week, his base allowance doesn't change. The helmet just takes a little longer.
Review the agreement
After the first month, sit down and check how it's going.
Signs it's working
- Payday is a short, calm conversation
- Your child knows which jobs are paid without asking
- The money is getting used, saved or given, not just piling up
Signs it needs changing
- Every payday becomes a debate about whether a job counts
- Everyday contributions have stopped unless they're paid
- You've stopped paying for extra jobs on time
- Your child has lost interest in the paid jobs and the money
Change one thing at a time, and before the next payday. Good moments to review again: a birthday, a new school year, or when your child takes on a new expense.
Writing the agreement down helps. One short page, covering the base amount, the payday, the everyday contributions, the paid extra jobs and their prices, is enough.
A regular home for the allowance — two minutes a week.
In Monty, you set each child's allowance and its schedule. When your child earns money for an extra job, you record it as a deposit with a Chore category, so "Raked the front yard, +$4" stays part of the story. At Monty O'Clock, the two-minute weekly check-in, Monty always asks whether any new money came in, like a gift, chore money or a bonus. Then your child decides how to split it across Spend, Save and Give, just like their allowance.
Monty is the record
- Tracks each jar, allowance and gifts
- Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly
- Bonuses with a note saying why
Not the bank
- Doesn’t hold money
- No card issued
- Never connects to your bank
First four Monty O’Clocks free, every feature, no credit card. Then $10/month or $99/year, plus applicable tax.
See how allowance habits and deposits work in Monty, or read how Monty O'Clock works. Setting up a first allowance? Start with how to start an allowance, then allowance by age for the amount.
Questions parents ask
Should allowance be tied to chores?
It's your family's choice. Many families keep the allowance separate and pay only for extra jobs, so money practice stays steady and earning is optional. Others pay for each chore. Whichever you choose, keep essentials and everyday contributions out of it, and agree the rules in advance.
Should I pay my kids for chores?
Paying for extra jobs, beyond what everyone in the family does, is a simple way to start. Paying for every everyday task can make those tasks feel optional.
How much should I pay for a chore?
Set a price per job, in advance, that feels fair for the size of the job and fits your budget. In the example above, raking the yard pays $4 and washing the car $3. Keep the base allowance in the range that suits your child's age.
What if my child doesn't want to do paid chores?
In a base-plus-jobs setup, that's fine. The base still comes, and their goals take longer. That trade-off is part of the lesson.
Can I take money away for chores that weren't done?
If the allowance is separate from chores, don't. Handle a missed contribution the way you'd handle any other family expectation. If you pay per chore, an unfinished task simply isn't paid. Avoid taking back money your child already has.
How can chores teach kids the value of money?
When a job has a price, your child can compare it with what they want. "That game costs three car washes" makes a price feel real. Talk about it when they decide whether to take the job and again when they spend what they earned.
Sources (5)
- Teaching children about money — Financial Consumer Agency of Canada · checked Oct 23, 2026
- Allowance habits — Monty · checked Oct 23, 2026
- Deposits — Monty · checked Oct 23, 2026
- Monty pricing — Monty · checked Oct 23, 2026
- How Monty O'Clock works — Monty · checked Oct 23, 2026
Monty publishes this guide. Financial education, not financial advice.
