Pocket Money by Age in India

How much pocket money to give depends on your child's age, your city, your family budget and what the money is meant to cover. The ranges below come from published guides by Indian family finance apps. Treat them as a starting point and adjust them to your family.

Most guides agree that how you give pocket money matters more than how much.

Ages 8 to 9: about ₹200 to ₹500 a month.

Ages 10 to 11: about ₹400 to ₹800 a month.

Ages 12 to 13: about ₹600 to ₹1,200 a month.

Ages 14 to 15: about ₹1,000 to ₹2,000 a month.

Ages 16 to 17: about ₹1,500 to ₹3,000 a month.

From 18, agree an amount together, often alongside a budget for their own expenses.

These figures are for urban households. One Indian guide suggests scaling down to about 70% of them in tier-2 cities and about 50% in smaller towns. A different guide gives a wider range, such as ₹100 to ₹700 a month for ages 10 to 12, because amounts differ a lot between metros and smaller places.

Many Indian parenting sources suggest starting around age 8 or 9, when a child understands that money is limited and can count change. Younger children can start with a small amount, such as ₹10 for a treat, as a way to practise choosing.

Some guides suggest keeping total pocket money to a small share of household income, in the range of 2 to 5%, adjusted for how many children you have and your other commitments. Use this only as a sense check, not a target.

Raise the amount once a year, for example by 10 to 15%, as the child gets older and costs rise.

Decide what pocket money is meant to cover. A child who pays for their own snacks and small gifts needs more than one whose parents cover everything.

Pay on a fixed day, such as the first of the month or every Sunday, so the child learns to plan until the next payment.

Divide it into spend, save and share. A common split is most for spending, a share for a savings goal and a small part for giving.

Let them make small mistakes. A child who spends everything in the first week and has nothing left learns more than one who is rescued.

Younger children usually do best with cash they can hold. From around 13 or 14, a wallet or digital account helps them get used to tracking money.

Indian family finance writers disagree. Some advise against linking pocket money to tasks or grades, so that a child helps at home because the family needs it and not for payment. Others suggest a fixed base amount that does not depend on anything, plus a small bonus for extra jobs the child takes on.

A middle path many families use: give a base amount for learning to manage money, and keep daily household help unpaid. Offer a small extra for tasks beyond the normal routine, and for goals your child sets themselves.

In UpZi you set the tasks and the reward for each, decide how much is pocket money and how much goes to a savings goal, and approve each task in one tap. Your child can see their balance and goals grow.