Are you wondering how much pocket money to give your child? Deciding whether their savings are up to scratch or how their spending habits compare to other kids? Well, you’ve come to the right place. In this article we cover everything you need to know from our latest Pocket Money Index.
The Pocket Money Index is our in-depth research report into the financial habits of over 350,000 Rooster Money kids. Every year we use our data to identify the latest trends and changes in how they earn, spend, and save their pocket money.
This year Rooster Money kids are earning an annual income equivalent to £474.76 – a slight decrease on their take home pay of £479.96 last year. Like last year, kids increasingly look to other forms of income to top up their pocket money – a sign that the pocket money pay-out many of us parents will remember from childhood is changing shape for the modern world.
Also 27% of parents set up regular pocket money allowance through the Rooster Money app – at a weekly rate of £3.85 (up 1.85% from last year’s £3.78). The rest is made up of ad hoc top ups linked to rewards for things like making good progress at school, completing extra chores, or even starting their own side hustle, bringing the overall weekly income (regular pocket money plus top ups and extra earners) to £9.13.
Pocket money trends are showing that it pays to get older as weekly earnings go up by the age range. When it comes to a regular allowance, 17-year-olds enjoy the highest weekly pay cheque at £8.31. Meanwhile, six-year-olds – the youngest of the Rooster kids in the Pocket Money Index – are fetching the lowest pay at just £2.81 a week.
Kids’ regular pocket money earnings per week can be found below. This is the amount that parents will often set in the app to be paid weekly or monthly, either on the condition of doing chores or simply as part of a regular allowance.
(excluding boosts and jobs)
Kids overall income, which includes payments for doing extra chores and one-off rewards and treats follows a similar pattern, rising steadily as kids get older – starting at £4.99 per week for six-year-olds and going up to £23.97 for 17-year-olds, as the spending power of kids increases to support their teen routines.
With regular allowances becoming less popular, kids are working hard to earn a good chunk of
their money by taking on extra chores and responsibilities. Amongst the top five chores, making the bed is the most completed chore for the third year running, meanwhile mowing the lawn pays best, coming in at an average of £3.68 per job.
As well as capitalising on chores, today’s kids are showing a good measure of entrepreneurial spirit too. Side hustles such as reselling possessions, tutoring, babysitting and paper rounds are amongst the top entrepreneurial earners of 2024/25.
Kids are also being rewarded for their education, getting £16.11 for a good school report, £36.67 for good exam results and £10.68 for winning a school award/achievement.
Kids are setting aside a whooping 6.4% of their income in 2024/25, equivalent to £30.38 per year. Kids are also saving their money in a way that suits them. Similar to last year, 54% of savings were assigned to measurable goals for kids to work towards – such as saving up to buy a computer game, or for an upcoming holiday.
Gaming continues to dominate the list as the Goal pot with the most money transferred into it this year. Holidays came in second place and saving for the future kept it’s top three spot for another year running, showing kids aren’t just thinking about the here and now. Finally, pets were the newest entry suggesting more kids are saving for a furry friend (or maybe treats for them)!
When it comes to spending their pocket money, supermarkets and grocery stores are the most frequented, with Tesco and Co-op being the most popular brands amongst Rooster kids with Apple, McDonald’s and Sainsbury’s not far behind.
In terms of how much they spent – Tesco moves up to the top spot, knocking Amazon down from 1st to 8th place in the rankings.
Kids aren’t just spending, though: they are also giving back with their pocket money. The most donations went to cancer research and medical charities, followed by animal welfare and environmental causes. Rooster kids’ generosity is admirable as they clearly see a benefit in helping others; their awareness of the current world issues is inspiring.
The data above is compiled from our 2024/2025 Pocket Money Index research report.