22 chores for 14-year-olds: earn money and build real life skills
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Key takeaways
A 14-year-old can handle almost any job in the house and most of the ones outside it. The question isn't whether they're capable, it’s which chores belong to the weekly routine and which ones are worth paying extra for. Splitting them gives your teen two kinds of money experience at once: a predictable weekly amount they can plan around, and the chance to earn more when they want something specific.
Which chores fit depends on your teen's personality, what motivates them, and your family’s needs. Below are ideas for both the everyday routine and bigger jobs worth paying extra for, along with how to assign and pay for chores on Greenlight Family Hub, the shared digital family calendar and picture frame display.
22 weekly chores to cover with allowance
These are the jobs that keep a household running. They come around every week, they don't take long, and a 14-year-old can do most of them without being walked through the steps.
Don’t expect your teen to do all of these every week. Treat the list as a menu: Start with the ones that aren't up for debate, like making their bed and keeping their room clean, then pick a few more your teen owns for the week.
Around the house
1. Making their bed
2. Cleaning their bedroom
3. Doing their own laundry, start to finish
4. Loading and unloading the dishwasher
5. Washing dishes by hand
6. Wiping down counters and tables
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7. Dusting and sweeping
8. Vacuuming
9. Changing their sheets
10. Taking out the trash and recycling
11. Watering indoor plants
Outside
12. Watering the garden
13. Sweeping the porch, patio, or walkway
14. Bringing trash cans to the curb and back
Pet care
15. Feeding pets and refilling water bowls
16. Walking the dog
17. Cleaning litter boxes, cages, or tanks
Organization
18. Keeping their backpack and school folders in order
19. Adding to the family grocery list as things run out
20. Tidying shared spaces after they use them
Kitchen and errands
21. Packing their own school lunch
22. Unloading and putting away groceries
Bigger jobs that earn more
These are the bigger jobs. They take real time, they don't come around every week, and they're worth paying for on top of the regular allowance. They're also the jobs a 14-year-old can offer to neighbors, which makes this list a decent starting point for a first paid gig.
Chore | What it teaches | Pay range |
|---|---|---|
Mowing the lawn | Operating equipment safely | $10–$25 |
Shoveling snow | Flexibility, being ready to work | $10–$30 |
Raking leaves | Finishing a long job | $10–$20 |
Weeding and mulching | Steady effort over a full afternoon | $10–$25 |
Washing and detailing the car | Meeting a quality standard | $10–$25 |
Washing first-floor windows, inside and out | Doing a job right the first time | $10–$25 |
Deep-cleaning a bathroom | Thoroughness | $8–$15 |
Clearing out the garage, mudroom, or basement | Building a system instead of a pile | $15–$30 |
Organizing the pantry or a closet | Keeping track of what you have | $10–$20 |
Collecting items and organizing donation drop-off | Deciding what to keep and what to let go | $5–$20 |
Bathing and brushing the dog | Patience | $10–$20 |
Cooking a family dinner from scratch | Planning, timing, and cleanup | $10–$20 |
Grocery shopping to a set budget | Spending real money well | $10–$20 |
Backing up family photos and organizing digital files | Digital housekeeping | $10–$20 |
Babysitting siblings | Responsibility for another person | $8–$15 per hour |
Pay for these jobs varies by where you live and how big the job is. A quarter-acre lawn and a city courtyard aren't the same work. Agree on the price before your teen starts, which is the part that carries over to every job they'll take later.
How to set a weekly chore amount
Start with what the money is supposed to cover. If your teen is paying for snacks after practice, movie tickets, and the occasional gift for a friend, the number follows from that list rather than from a formula.
The old rule of thumb is a dollar per year of age each week, which puts a 14-year-old at $14. Plenty of families go higher once a teen's social life picks up. Treat it as a starting point, not an answer.
A few things matter more than the amount:
Agree on what "done" means.
Pay on the same day every week. Predictability is what teaches budgeting. A teen who knows money arrives Friday can plan for Saturday.
Don't dock pay in the moment. If chores slip, handle consequences as a conversation about the agreement rather than a surprise deduction.
Revisit the number when responsibilities change, not every time your teen asks.
How can you motivate your teen to do chores?
Keeping your 14-year-old motivated to complete their tasks can be challenging, but here are some winning strategies.
Offer an incentive: Consider linking chores to your teen’s allowance, and set up a reward system for extra tasks. This motivates kids and shows them the link between effort and reward.
Set clear expectations: Establish a chore schedule and discuss responsibilities and consequences up front. Clear expectations help teenagers understand their roles and the importance of fulfilling them.
Encourage independence: Allowing teenagers to choose their preferred tasks promotes decision-making and independence.
Pay it somewhere real: Allowance that lands on their own debit card, rather than as cash you have to remember, makes the link between work and money immediate and gives them something to budget.
Using technology to manage chores effectively
Technology can play a pivotal role in chore management, especially if your kids are already tech-savvy.
Chore management: Greenlight's app is an excellent tool for managing chores and allowances. Teens can check off tasks, while parents automate allowances, offering a seamless way to keep everyone accountable.
Integrate financial education: When you use Greenlight to manage your teen’s chores, you can also help your teen track spending, set savings goals, and even explore investment opportunities with parental oversight. This practical approach empowers teens to manage their finances wisely.
One screen the whole family shares: A display like keeps chores, the calendar, and shared lists in one place, so nothing depends on a teen checking their phone.
A 14-year-old who does their own laundry, cooks dinner, and mows a lawn is rehearsing what they'll be doing on their own in four years. The money is why they start, and the life skills are what stay. Just keep the list realistic, because one that ignores school, sports, and friends becomes a weekly argument instead of a habit.
FAQs
What chores should a 14-year-old do?
By 14, most teens can handle almost any job in the house. Everyday chores include laundry start to finish, vacuuming, dishes, and pet care; bigger jobs like mowing, shoveling snow, washing the car, and babysitting are usually worth paying extra for.
How much should you pay a 14-year-old for chores?
There's no single rule; many families scale allowance with age and the size of the job. With Greenlight, you can pay based on chore progress, pay only when everything is done, or keep chores unpaid and use stars instead.
Can a 14-year-old babysit?
Many can, starting with younger siblings and short stretches. Build up from being home together to being in charge, and be clear about rules and emergency contacts.
How do you manage chores for a teenager who's never home?
Put chores where the whole family sees them and sync the calendars. Greenlight Family Hub is a shared touchscreen showing a chore chart next to the family schedule, so a teen can plan around practice and work — and you can adjust the week from the companion app.
What safety rules should apply to outdoor chores for teens?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a child be at least 12 to use a walk-behind mower and 16 for a riding mower, and that they show the strength and judgment to handle one regardless of age. Walk your teen through any machine before they use it alone, and require closed-toe shoes, eye protection, and a quick sweep of the yard for rocks and sticks. Skip roofs, ladders, gutters, and lawn chemicals entirely.
Which chores should be unpaid family responsibilities vs. paid extras?
There's no single right split, and it depends on how your family pays. This guide covers everyday work like making their bed, laundry, dishes, and pet care with a weekly allowance, then pays extra for bigger jobs like mowing, deep cleaning, and babysitting. What matters more than where you draw the line is that your teen knows which chores fall on each side before they start.
The Greenlight Family Hub requires WiFi connectivity and is available for use with all Greenlight plans. Some features require a subscription. See Terms for more details.
¹The Greenlight® prepaid card is issued by Community Federal Savings Bank, member FDIC, pursuant to license by Mastercard International.
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