Kids’ average pocket money income dwarfed by side hustle pay rises, NatWest Rooster Money report finds

The app found side hustles, such as chores and paper rounds, have been generating significantly more income for kids than average pocket money payments.

A child puts pocket money into a piggy bank
Pocket money earnings now make up just 14% of the average child's income, NatWest Rooster has found
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Pocket money appears to be going out of fashion with children turning to side hustles to secure an income, new research has found.

According to analysis of customer data by NatWest and its youth debit card provider Rooster, the average weekly allowance sits at £3.78 - 3% (10p) down year-on-year. The number of kids getting a regular stipend has also dropped from 32% to 30%, the findings showed.

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Henry Sandercock has spent more than eight years as a journalist covering a wide variety of beats. Having studied for an MA in journalism at the University of Kent, he started his career in the garden of England as a reporter for local TV channel KMTV.

Henry then worked at the BBC for three years as a radio producer - mostly on BBC Radio 2 with Jeremy Vine, but also on major BBC Radio 4 programmes like The World at One, PM and Broadcasting House. Switching to print media, he covered fresh foods for respected magazine The Grocer for two years.

After moving to NationalWorld.com - a national news site run by the publisher of The Scotsman and Yorkshire Post - Henry began reporting on the cost of living crisis, becoming the title’s money editor in early 2023. He covered everything from the energy crisis to scams, and inflation. He also has bylines in MoneyWeek.