Chores for 15-Year-Olds
teenFifteen-year-olds can hold a part-time job, run a small business, manage their own banking and budgeting, and reason about long-term goals (car, college, first apartment). The shift from "kid with allowance" to "young adult with income" is happening.
Pay context for age 15
$20-40 weekly is typical at age 15 — though most families taper or replace allowance with earned income. Household chores at this age are often unpaid "you live here" contributions plus paid extras.
12 age-appropriate chores
Each chore below shows a typical pay range, time estimate, and how much parent supervision it still needs. Use these as a starting point — the right number of chores is the one your kid can sustain for at least four weeks straight without nagging.
Family help
Handle full home maintenance rotation
$20–$50Paint touch-up or small home repair
$15–$40Babysit other families (4+ hours, infants OK)
$15–$30Drive (with permit/license) for family errands
$5–$15Manage household calendar and scheduling
$10–$20Cleaning
Deep clean entire house room-by-room
$25–$60Outdoor
Wash and detail car (exterior + interior + wax)
$15–$30Snow removal (whole driveway + walks)
$15–$40Run a neighbor service business (lawn, pet, tutoring)
$50–$200Yard work (planting, edging, trimming)
$10–$25Kitchen
Plan and cook 2-3 family dinners per week
$15–$30Laundry
Lead family laundry routine end-to-end
$8–$15How to keep it running
Fifteen-year-olds work best with monthly contracts: "$80/month for X, Y, Z chores done by Sunday." Lump-sum monthly pay treats them like the young adult they're becoming.
When they refuse: At 15, friction often signals that the chore structure hasn't scaled up with them. Have an annual conversation about which chores still fit, what a fair monthly rate looks like, and what they're saving toward.
The parent angle
Fifteen is when allowance and chores often merge into a real "young adult finance" conversation. They have a part-time job, a checking account, possibly a credit-builder card, and they're saving for a car or first laptop. Household chores become rent-equivalent — what every adult does to live somewhere.
Frequently asked
Should I still pay a 15-year-old for chores?
Many families stop. The framing shifts to: "You live here, so you contribute. We pay for your phone, food, school, transportation. Your part-time job pays for what you want." Some families keep paid bonus chores for above-and-beyond work.
How much should a 15-year-old be saving?
A useful target: 50% of all earned income into long-term savings (Roth IRA, car fund, college). They'll have decades to ramp up spending — the savings habit at this age compounds for life.
Should a 15-year-old have a credit card?
A "credit-builder" card under your account, with a low limit and auto-pay from their checking, is the standard play at this age. By 18 they'll have a credit history, which is one of the highest-leverage things you can give a teen.