Claiming 1 reduces the amount of taxes that are withheld from weekly paychecks, so you get more money now with a smaller refund. Claiming 0 allowances may be a better option if you'd rather receive a larger lump sum of money in the form of your tax refund.
Guidelines: Younger Teens (Ages 13-15): $20 - $50 per month Older Teens (Ages 16-18): $50 - $100+ per month Additional Tips: Set Clear Expectations: Discuss how the allowance can be used and what behaviors are expected in return.
How Much Should You Pay for Allowance? In The Opposite of Spoiled, the author recommends between 50 cents and $1.00 per year of the child's age for a weekly allowance. For example, the weekly allowance for a 6-year-old would be between $3 and $6. We chose the low end of 50 cents per year.
You can claim anywhere between 0 and 3 allowances on the W4 IRS form, depending on what you're eligible for. Generally, the more allowances you claim, the less tax will be withheld from each paycheck. The fewer allowances claimed, the larger withholding amount, which may result in a refund.
The maximum credit amount is $500 for each dependent who meets certain conditions. This credit can be claimed for: Dependents of any age, including those who are age 18 or older. Dependents who have Social Security numbers or Individual Taxpayer Identification numbers.
Allowances matter. If you don't claim enough of them and you have too much money sent to the government, you'll end up with a tax refund. But if you claim too many allowances, you'll probably owe the IRS some money at the end of the tax year and possibly pay a penalty for your mistake.
Average allowance for kids and teens
Here are some general guidelines: Ages 6 - 9: $5-$8 per week. Ages 10-12: $9-$12 per week. Ages 13-17: $12-$28 per week.
Chore Pay Across America
Simple chores like picking up toys or feeding pets are suited to younger children so $0.50 to $2 per chore might be appropriate. As they get older and the complexity of their chores escalates – from vacuum cleaning to washing dishes – older kids might earn between $1.50 and $3 per chore.
How Much Allowance Should You Give? There are many schools of thought on this question. Some parents use the $1 per year rule–one dollar per week per age year. So, a seven-year-old might get $7 per week.
How much money should a teen aim to have by 18? As a guide, by 18, a teen should aim to have a few thousand dollars in savings. Ideally, around $10,000. But again, the exact amount will vary.
Kids have a natural desire to be helpful, and by tying their allowance to various tasks, we actually undermine that natural intrinsic motivation that they are born with. While doing chores should be a part of every growing child's schedule, tying it to allowance might undermine your goal.
Claiming 1 on Your Taxes
Claiming 1 reduces the amount of taxes that are withheld, which means you will get more money each paycheck instead of waiting until your tax refund. You could also still get a small refund while having a larger paycheck if you claim 1.
The number of allowances you claim on your W-4 doesn't have to match the actual number of dependents or family members you have on your tax return. There could be other reasons, such as side income, for you to reduce the number of allowances you claim.
Your child may be exempt from income tax withholding if in both the prior year and the current tax year the teen owes no federal income tax. If so, write “Exempt” in box 7 on the 2019 Form W-4, or write “Exempt” in the space under line 4(c) on the 2020 Form W-4.
To meet the qualifying child test, your child must be younger than you or your spouse if filing jointly and either younger than 19 years old or be a "student" younger than 24 years old as of the end of the calendar year.
There is no age limit for how long you can claim adult children or other relatives as dependents, but they must meet other IRS requirements to continue to qualify. Additionally, once they are over 18 and no longer a student, they can only qualify as an "other dependent," not a qualifying child.
Many people would take an allowance for every single person that they were responsible for financially. So if you had yourself, a spouse and two children, you may claim four allowances.
The credit is $500 per qualifying dependent as long as the adjusted gross income (AGI) doesn't exceed $200,000 ($400,000 if filing jointly). The credit goes down $50 for every $1,000 that the AGI exceeds the $200,000/$400,000 limit.
How to Set an Allowance for Kids. A commonly used rule of thumb for paying an allowance is to pay children $1 to $2 per week for each year of their age. Following this rule, a 10-year-old would receive $10 to $20 per week, while a 16-year-old would get $16 to $32 per week.
You may reduce the amount of tax withheld from your wages by claiming one additional withholding allowance for each $1,000, or fraction of $1,000, by which you expect your estimated deductions for the year to exceed your allowable standard deduction.
The 2025 Basic Allowance for Housing rates, as part of a robust military compensation package, continue the member cost-sharing element at five percent of the national average housing cost by pay grade. These amounts vary by grade and dependency status and range from $90 to $202 monthly for the 2025 rates.