How much should adult kids help with bills?

Make a savings account and they have to add a certain amount each month while living with you and then save it until they move out

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for a teenager say they game they should help with electricity. say theyā€™re a gossip they should pay their phone bill. they like to cook or snack a lot they should buy groceries. if they are a grow adult they should be charged rent for a room and shared utilities be fair and be mindful of minimum wage and cost for your city this is only a single room they have

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Have them pay a small monthly set amount, tell them itā€™s for rent ($200 for example) then put it aside and when they move out give it to them for essentials

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You can also have them pay a set amount and put it aside for when they move out. If you want the responsibility of a monthly contribution but donā€™t feel right using it for bills. Helps them learn to pay a monthly bill while you secretly get a solid savings set up for them which we all know is really helpful when starting out on your own.

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My older kids that are now 24, 22, 20 and 20 they all each pay us partial electric, water, internet, and food. They all donā€™t cook I made the meals for everyone everyday and make sure they all have something to eat breakfast and lunch and big meal of dinner and snacks and drinks. It helps a lot and no one isnā€™t on the limit of eating as long we all help each other to buy the food at the most.

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My adult niece has lived with me since April. Sheā€™s almost 19. She has a job so outside her job she does chores here. I donā€™t charge her rent because she helps care for my children while I work. Occasionally if Iā€™m short on a bill Iā€™ll ask her for a few bucks. In total Iā€™ve only had to get $100 from her. I do occasionally pay her for watching the children if itā€™s an extended amount of time and Iā€™m out of town a few days. Shes responsible for her car insurance, repairs and her own cell phone. Shes moving out soon and I hope what Iā€™ve been able to teach her has helped shape her into a great adult and be responsible.

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If you need the money ask them to start covering one or two of the bills such as internet, car insurance or phone if they are on your plan. You could also charge ā€œrentā€ maybe $200 a month and either give it back to them when they move out or use it for utilities or food if you need it.

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I allowed my daughter to save for a car for the first 2 years after graduating high school, she had a gap year before starting Uni in 2021 and worked full time. Now she pays the electric and gas bill as her contribution to the household and is more than happy to do so. She understands the cost of living out of home and is saving loads by being home still which makes me happy.

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I am a child who lived at home and paid $175 a month. That was for rent and food. I believe it is a good thing to have adult children who are not in school and living at home should help pitch in. I am now 44 years old. It teaches responsibility. If children are not taught responsibility before being out on their own it can be bad and parents are bailing their kids out of trouble. I bought my formal/prom dress, lettersmans jacket. I even paid for gifts for my coaches.

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I would have they put something towards each of the bills like rent electric, water, internet. Ect just so they know what bills are like when they decide to move out

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I would take each bill payment and divide it by the number of people in the house. For example, Rent/Mortgage is $500 and 5 people live in the house. Each adult child in the home should contribute $100 a month. Electricity is $200 a monthā€¦ each child should contribute $40 a month and so on. I would do it with Rent/Mortgage, Electricity, Cable/Internet, Cell phone, Food, and they pay their own car payment/insurance. Obviously, these numbers are just an example.

I want my boys to grow up and be responsible. That means preparing for paying their share of lifeā€™s necessities and learning how to do that. Iā€™m sorry, but Iā€™m not gonna let my kids save up money or spend it on whatever they want. Thatā€™s not how the real world works. They can contribute their share and save what they want to after that. After allā€¦ isnā€™t that what us Adults have to do???

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I lived with my parents until I was 21. And my husband and our son lived there for a year. We never paid rent, we would grocery shop & get things for around the house. We paid our car payments, car insurance, phone bill, etc. but my parents knew we where saving up to by a house. I would ever charge my son rent. I guess thatā€™s a luxury.

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I charge my boys $200 a fortnight they need to learn responsibility and also I show them how much they would be charged if I made them pay their percentage. life isnā€™t free and $200 is a bargain. if they donā€™t learn to pay bills they donā€™t appreciate what they do have and get.

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When I had completed 4 years in college, but realized I needed another semester to graduate, my parents made me pay my own living expenses. They paid for the classes and books that extra semester, but I paid rent, utilities, food, etc. Their reason for this was because I was supposed to have graduated and be able to support myself by then and, TBH, I needed that tough love so I could grow. Iā€™m glad they forced me to be more responsible, and take charge of my life.

As soon as they get on centrelink or have a job I would start. Iā€™m 27 and found it hard to adjust to paying bills when I did have to go out on my own. I paid board but it wasnā€™t a realistic amount. I had to run away from home. I had a father that didnā€™t want me around. Emotionally abused me my whole life. So I was extremely unprepared I had nothing from day dot. :upside_down_face: buy things for a glory box with some of it if you feel guilty then when they do move you will be able to give items for their house and it will be extremely appreciated.

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My daughters started paying $100 a month at 18. In school or not, as long as they had income. They also pay for all their own items, clothing, any personal items.

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I had my own apt at 16 paying my own bills, but before that living with my uncle I had to pay him 50 a week or 100 by weekly and was responsible for doing my own laundry he supplied the stuff as well as house hold chores( walking dog , dishes dry and put away, making bed, etc) in rotation with my cousins

How will they learn to cope when they do move out . They need to start to learn how much things cost .

My daughters started working at 14. At that point, they were responsible for their cell phone bill. When they turned 16, it became their phone bill and car insurance. Between 16-18, they paid their cell and insurance and began to start buying their own clothes/shoes and necessities (they have the entire upstairs with private bathroom and all). They were told that after graduation, if they attended college, their cell phones and car insurance would be paid for them, and they would pay nothing to live at home while attending classes. If they chose to live at home and not go to school, they would each be responsible for $300 per month. That would cover rent, all utilities and food. They would also still be responsible for personal necessities and personal bills, such as cell and insurance. I thought $300 a month for what is essentially an in-law suite, with all utilities and food included was more than fair and would help prepare them for the real world. Currently, our household has experienced back to back to back COVID issues, so both of them have dropped classes and will re-start in January. As of now they are paying their cell and insurance, but we arenā€™t requiring them to pay actual rent. If your child is 21, living at home, working full time and not attending college, they should definitely be contributing to the household. I would sit with them, go over their income and personal expenses and come to an agreement. Draw up a lease. But you canā€™t have it both ways. Youā€™re either mom or the landlord. I understand he still needs to respect household rules, but if youā€™re one of those parents who give your adult child rules to follow since theyā€™re living at home, keep in mind, while heā€™s still your son, heā€™s technically a rent paying tenant. Having this conversation with him may also encourage him to go back to school.

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I donā€™t think I could make my children pay rent but I would tell them they have to get a job if not going to school and make sure they safe up money for a while and teach them about bills and help them look for a place that affordable to what they make once they saved up and show them how to save correctly for bills that are due.

Mine pay their part of the phone bill, and auto insurance. Plus 100$ a month.

Iā€™m not there yet, but I will make them pay something if they still live with me. I think it will help them learn responsibility. I lived with my parents and didnā€™t have to pay for anything and boy was it tough to adjust to supporting myself when I moved out.

I think $100. Weekly. They get a roof over their heads. Laundry done. Food. Utilities. Couldnā€™t live no place else for that. Plus they should help clean and cook. That is being an adult. If they donā€™t like it. Move

My 20 yr old pays 200 a month. He pays his car payment and insurance. He has 2 jobs ( Disney and Universal) and goes to school. He doesnā€™t mind paying bc he knows I need help. Plus he gets a home cooked meal every night and lunchšŸ˜Š

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I got my first job at 15 hairdressing apprenticeship I payed $50 a week bored to my parents. At 16 I got a loan for my first car which was also $50 a week, even though it wasnā€™t a huge amount it made me realise the cost of living which was great as I got pregnant at 18 so moved into my own place. My daughter is 15 and just got her first part time job and I donā€™t ask for anything as she only does a couple of shifts a week and I still pay for everything but if she wants her nails or lashes done she has to pay.

When I lived at home after I graduated high school I day my mom down and offered to help. I paid the garbage bill the water bill and the cable bill plus helped with groceries. I suggest having them take over a couple bills and help with groceries or you can have them pay their share if thatā€™s are 4 people in the house then they should pay no more than 25% of the household bills such as rent water/sewer, garbage, cable internet, and pitch in for groceries. They should also be paying their own cell phone and car insurance.

I think its wrong to charge your own child. If I did Iā€™d put it in a savings account for them for when they move out.

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Starts as soon as they are finished with school. 15% of their income. So no pre-set amount, itā€™s based fairly from what they earn.

That depends, are they free loading? or trying to save money to move out on their own?

I hope this helps a little:

My son is on disability and when he turned 18 that disability went to him. Because he lives with us, according to SSI, he has to pay his 1/3 of the bills (thereā€™s 3 of us in the house - my husband and myself). Anything less and they actually penalize him. Iean if you want to be fair.

Itā€™s called room and board and so it should go by square footage x % of utilities plus food
Assuming they are paying for everything else themselves eg cell, clothes
It teaches them responsibility

As long as they have a job then I wouldnā€™t charge them anything. One they are my kids not roommates and two I would tell them they need to be saving to eventually get their own place.

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I have mine start helping as soon as they turn 18. I ask for $300 a month. Itā€™s like ā€œHappy Birthday ā€œ, welcome to the adult world, rentā€™s due on the 1st
But on the other hand, I do still help them with their phone bill and car insuranceā€¦gotta ease them into responsibility

At 18 I had to get a job and pay my own bills. I was told if I went to college I didnā€™t have to pay rent but if I didnā€™t do school I had to pay rent

My 18 year old pays 20% of his pay in to the household so if they are working a job that they dont pay much but as they make more it becomes more if he helps that week around the house i put half in to an account for him and if he does not help i use it

Worked for a utility company, the amount of times Iā€™ve had to explain to a gentleman or lady that their bill is $800, to have them tell me that they actually dont live there, their kids do and the utility is under their name but the kids were supposed to be paying it, to have a 3 way call while these grown ass ā€œkidsā€ bombard their parents about how they should pay the bill as theyā€™re the parents and they never had to pay anything before. So some of you people on here saying ā€œI could neverā€ will eventually get a rude awakening for not teaching your kids accountability and responsibility. The worse one was a 56 year old man screaming at his 82 year old mom because he shouldnā€™t have to pay the bill, and if his service gets disconnected and he dies from freezing to death its her fault, and thatā€™s up there with one of the worse calls Iā€™ve had to deal with. I ainā€™t trying to generalize the whole population of parents who do this or their kids but Iā€™ve seen the ugly side. Charge them rent utilities insurance or something teach them how to be responsible humans before you end up like so many gosh darn calls Iā€™ve had to personally listen to and deal with.

Mine paid $200 a month and $300 if they had a gf/bf move in with them. They bought their own stuff including shower supplies and would help a little with food. I never made a phone payment for them ever, if they wanted a phone they had to make the money for it and they bought their own rides. Now they are all so used to paying bills in my house that they have no trouble taking care of their own houses.

When I moved in with my ex who still lived with his mom mom had me pay the water bill while she didnā€™t make him pay anything. If youā€™re child has a job Iā€™d expect them to do their own laundry and clean up after themselves while paying a bill or 2. If your child doesnā€™t have a job yet Iā€™d Iā€™ve rules about chores that must be done and responsibilities they should have around the house, like having your child do a few arrands for you. And Iā€™d think to start it a few months after they either graduate high school, drop out of high school, or come to an understanding if your child is going to college and still able to live at home. If your child is able to do college while living at home, I wouldnā€™t charge my child anything as long as theyā€™re doing school. I feel like they should concentrate on their education and have no problem taking care of them past age 18 yrs if they are pursuing to further their education.

My oldest is only 16 but once she starts working Iā€™m going to charge her 150 a month. But what she doesnā€™t know is Iā€™m going to be putting that Money into an account for when she moves out sheā€™ll have a good amount saved.

Gosh Iā€™d rather deal with colicky infant triplets than have my 21 yr old live with us :joy::joy::joy::joy: mr independent came home after 6 months we started a tolerance fee not even rent :joy::joy::joy::joy: he is now extremely independent living his best life at the university living in his own home :two_hearts:

My kids are 26 and 18 both live at home and I would take any money from them