Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
This week's payout
$13.00
Total deductions
$1.00
Total bonus earned
$4.00
Annualized at this rate
$676
Psst — share this and help Rex grow
One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter child's age.
- 2Enter weekly base allowance ($).
- 3Enter required chores this week.
- 4Enter required chores missed.
- 5Enter deduction per missed chore ($).
- 6Enter extra/bonus chores completed.
- 7Enter pay per bonus chore ($).
- 8Read your this week's payout on the right — it updates as you type.
- 9Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
A lot of allowance systems break down because the math behind them is fuzzy — kids don't see a clear link between the chores they did and the money they got. This calculator uses a base allowance tied to age, adds bonus pay for extra chores completed beyond the required list, and subtracts a per-chore deduction for required chores missed, so the weekly payout is a transparent, arithmetic result of the week's actual performance rather than a negotiated number.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Child's age: 10
- Weekly base allowance: 10 $
- Required chores this week: 7
- Required chores missed: 1
- Deduction per missed chore: 1 $
- Extra/bonus chores completed: 2
- Pay per bonus chore: 2 $
Results
- This week's payout: $13.00
- Total deductions: $1.00
- Total bonus earned: $4.00
- Annualized at this rate: $676
What each field means
Inputs
- Child's age
- The child's age used in the calculation. Starts at 10 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 4–18.
- Weekly base allowance ($)
- The weekly base allowance used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 10 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Required chores this week
- The required chores this week used in the calculation. Starts at 7 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–20.
- Required chores missed
- The required chores missed used in the calculation. Starts at 1 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–20.
- Deduction per missed chore ($)
- The deduction per missed chore used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 1 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Extra/bonus chores completed
- The extra/bonus chores completed used in the calculation. Starts at 2 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–20.
- Pay per bonus chore ($)
- The pay per bonus chore used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 2 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- This week's payout
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total deductions
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total bonus earned
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Annualized at this rate
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What's a reasonable base allowance by age?
A common rule of thumb is $1 per year of age per week — so $8/week for an 8-year-old, $12/week for a 12-year-old — though this varies widely by region and family budget. What matters more than the exact number is consistency, since kids build money habits from the pattern more than the amount.
Should allowance be tied to chores at all?
There are two competing philosophies: allowance as an unconditional financial-literacy tool (chores are separate household expectations), versus allowance as chore pay. This calculator supports the pay-for-work model; if you prefer the unconditional model, just set deductions and bonuses to zero and use the base amount only.
How do I handle chores skipped due to illness or travel?
Most families build in a no-penalty exception for sick days or family trips — manually reduce the 'required chores' number for that week rather than counting absent days as missed chores, so the ledger stays fair.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Kid Allowance & Chore Ledger Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/kid-allowance-chore-ledger
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/kid-allowance-chore-ledger" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kid Allowance & Chore Ledger Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Kid Allowance & Chore Ledger Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/kid-allowance-chore-ledger) (2026).