Pocket money by age in Ireland.
Every age from 5 to 17, worked out from the real minimum wage in Ireland, €14.15 an hour, and the junior rates the law already sets. Not a number anyone made up.
An 8 year old in Ireland earns
€4.96an hour
About €12.40 a week if they do 2½ hours of paid jobs. That's 35.1% of the minimum wage in Ireland.
Worked out from Workplace Relations Commission — National Minimum Wage, rates from 1 January 2026.
It's not a number we made up.
Every age from 5 to 17, worked out from the real minimum wage in Ireland, €14.15 an hour, and the junior rates the law already sets. Not a number anyone made up.
- Pocket wage, paid by you
- Real minimum wage, paid by a boss
At 16, the legal minimum in Ireland is €9.91 an hour. Pocket Wage draws a straight line from there back to zero, and a kid's age picks the spot on it.
The Jobs Board at age 8.
Every paid job has a standard time: how long it should take, not how long it did. Dawdle and you earn less a minute. Get good at it and you earn more. There's no timer to game and no price to haggle.
The Jobs Board at age 8, €4.96 an hour
| Job | Standard time | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuum the living areas | 20 min | €1.65 |
| Empty every bin in the house | 10 min | €0.83 |
| Hang out a load of washing | 15 min | €1.24 |
| Put the groceries away | 15 min | €1.24 |
Example jobs and times. Family Duties, like clearing your own plate, are unpaid: belonging isn't billable.
How junior wages work in Ireland.
Ireland's national minimum wage is set by the government each January on the advice of the Low Pay Commission. Workers under 18 are entitled to 70% of the adult rate, 18 year olds to 80%, and 19 year olds to 90%, with the full rate at 20.
Pocket Wage anchors on the under-18 rate at sixteen and draws a straight line back to zero. From sixteen the site shows the real statutory rates. When the rate changes each January, every age on this site moves with it.
Children can do light work from 14 during school holidays and from 15 in term time, with limits on hours. The under-18 minimum wage applies to any employed young person.
Source: Workplace Relations Commission — National Minimum Wage, rates from 1 January 2026.
Questions parents in Ireland ask.
What is the minimum wage for a 16 year old in Ireland?
70% of the adult national minimum wage, the rate for anyone under 18. It is shown on our 16 year old page from the official source, and it is the anchor for every younger age here.
How much pocket money is normal in Ireland?
Irish surveys find a few euro a week for younger children and more for teenagers, mostly unconditional. A pocket wage is a rate for hours worked, so a child who does more earns more.
When does the Irish minimum wage change?
Usually on 1 January each year. Every rate on this site updates the same day.
Every birthday is a pay rise.
The app runs the whole thing: the Jobs Board, the standard times, a sacred weekly payday with a payslip, and Pay-Rise Day on every birthday. No cards, no stored money. The parent is the bank.