Pocket money by age in New Zealand.
Every age from 5 to 17, worked out from the real minimum wage in New Zealand, $23.95 an hour, and the junior rates the law already sets. Not a number anyone made up.
An 8 year old in New Zealand earns
$9.58an hour
About $23.95 a week if they do 2½ hours of paid jobs. That's 40% of the minimum wage in New Zealand.
Worked out from Employment New Zealand — Minimum wage rates and types, rates from 1 April 2026.
It's not a number we made up.
Every age from 5 to 17, worked out from the real minimum wage in New Zealand, $23.95 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 New Zealand is $19.16 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, $9.58 an hour
| Job | Standard time | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuum the living areas | 20 min | $3.19 |
| Empty every bin in the house | 10 min | $1.60 |
| Hang out a load of washing | 15 min | $2.40 |
| Put the groceries away | 15 min | $2.40 |
Example jobs and times. Family Duties, like clearing your own plate, are unpaid: belonging isn't billable.
How junior wages work in New Zealand.
New Zealand sets its minimum wage every 1 April. There is no youth rate for most workers: from sixteen, a young person on the adult minimum wage is owed the full adult rate, unless they are on the starting-out rate, which is 80% of the adult wage for their first six months.
Pocket Wage anchors on the starting-out rate at sixteen, because that is what a sixteen year old's first job legally pays, and draws a straight line back to zero. From sixteen the site shows the real rates.
There is no general minimum working age in New Zealand, but children under 16 cannot work during school hours and there are safety limits. The minimum wage applies from 16.
Source: Employment New Zealand — Minimum wage rates and types, rates from 1 April 2026.
Questions parents in New Zealand ask.
What is the minimum wage for a 16 year old in New Zealand?
The starting-out rate, 80% of the adult minimum, for the first six months of a job, then the adult rate. Our 16 year old page shows the official figures.
How much pocket money do Kiwi kids get?
Surveys find a few dollars a week at primary age, rising into the teens, generally given rather than earned. A pocket wage is an hourly rate for jobs, so the weekly figure depends on the hours.
When does the minimum wage change in New Zealand?
Every 1 April. Every rate on this site changes 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.