Every parent asks this and everyone gives a different answer, usually based on what they got in 1994. So here is some actual data, followed by the more useful question — which is not "what is average?" but "what is this money supposed to be teaching?"
Average weekly pocket money in the UK
The most widely quoted UK figures come from the children's card company GoHenry, which publishes averages drawn from its own users. In their 2025 data the overall average across ages 6 to 18 was £10.73 a week, up about 8% on the previous year.
| Age | Average per week | Roughly per year |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | £4.05 | £211 |
| 7 | £4.25 | £221 |
| 8 | £4.58 | £238 |
| 9 | £5.14 | £267 |
| 10 | £6.02 | £313 |
| 11 | £7.83 | £407 |
| 12 | £10.42 | £542 |
| 13 | £13.36 | £695 |
| 14 | £15.84 | £824 |
| 15 | £18.18 | £945 |
| 16 | £19.67 | £1,023 |
| 17 | £18.74 | £975 |
| 18 | £16.60 | £863 |
Three things the table does not tell you
The jump at 11 and 12 is not really about age
Look at where the numbers accelerate: £6.02 at ten, £7.83 at eleven, £10.42 at twelve. That is secondary school arriving. Suddenly there are bus fares, lunches, and a social life that costs something. The money is going up because the job of the money changed.
The dip after 16 is a good sign
Averages fall at 17 and 18 — not because families get meaner, but because that is when part-time work starts replacing handouts. A falling average there is the system working.
Averages hide enormous variation
An average of £10.73 is made up of households giving nothing at all and households giving £30. Both can be entirely reasonable. What your neighbours do is not a standard you are failing to meet.
A rule of thumb that works surprisingly well
Some families use 50p to £1 per year of age, per week. That gives £5–£10 at ten and £7–£14 at fourteen — close to the real averages without needing a table. Pick a point in that range and adjust for what the money has to cover.
How to actually decide
Work backwards from the job, not forwards from the age. Write a short list of what you want this money to pay for over a month — a couple of snacks a week, one small treat, and something set aside. Add it up, divide by four, round to something easy to hand over. That number will be more useful than any average, because it is attached to a purpose.
Then leave it alone for six months. The most common mistake is fiddling with the amount every time there is a complaint, which teaches that the way to get more money is to complain.
Should the amount include savings?
If you want a child to save, build it into the amount rather than asking them to sacrifice from it. Giving £8 with an expectation that £2 is put away feels very different from giving £6 and asking for restraint — even though the spendable money is identical. Read more about setting savings goals that actually get finished.
Questions people ask
- What is the average pocket money in the UK?
- Across ages 6 to 18 the average was about £10.73 a week in 2025, according to GoHenry's annual data. It ranges from roughly £4 a week at age six to around £19 a week at sixteen.
- How much pocket money should a 12 year old get?
- The UK average for a 12-year-old is around £10.42 a week. Twelve is often when amounts jump, because secondary school brings real costs like travel and lunches. Decide based on what the money needs to cover rather than the average alone.
- How much pocket money should a 13 year old get?
- Around £13.36 a week is the UK average for a 13-year-old. Many families switch to paying monthly at about this age, which teaches making money last over a longer stretch.
- Should pocket money increase every year?
- A yearly rise, often on a birthday or at the start of a school year, works well because it is predictable and can be tied to new responsibilities. It also means increases are a date rather than an argument.