'Pulls the Bins Out' — What's It Worth in Pocket Money?

This might be the most Australian question in parenting.

You need the bins out. Your kid knows you need the bins out. There's clearly a negotiation happening. But what is "pulls the bins out" actually worth?

We did the maths.

The bins-out valuation framework

To price a chore fairly, you need three things:

1. Time required — how long does it actually take?
2. Skill required — is this a job anyone could do, or does it require specific ability?
3. Regularity — once a week, once a fortnight?

The bins tick:

• Time: 2–4 minutes, assuming normal suburban setup (bins from side of house to kerb)
• Skill: Essentially zero — if you're old enough to pull a bin, you can do this job
• Regularity: Weekly (general waste) or fortnightly (recycling/green waste)

What the minimum wage suggests

The Australian minimum wage for adults in 2025 is $24.10/hour. Annualised for a 2-minute weekly job:

• 2 minutes × 52 weeks = 1.73 hours/year
• At adult minimum wage: 1.73 × $24.10 = $41.70/year or 80 cents/week

That's the cold, labour-market answer. Nobody is getting excited about 80 cents.

What Australian parents actually pay

Informal surveys in Australian parent forums suggest the most common range is $1–$3 per week for the bins specifically, or as part of a broader "household contributions" payment.

The going rate by age:

The problem with paying per chore

Here's the issue: once you start paying for the bins, your child might start declining the payment.

"I don't want the $1, I'll skip this week."

That's the classic failure mode of per-chore payments. The child reclassifies the chore as optional — you can opt out by forfeiting the payment.

The solution most parenting experts recommend: household contributions are expected regardless, and the pocket money is separate. The bins are part of being in the family. The $8/week pocket money is because you're eight.

If you want to reward particularly helpful behaviour, do it discretionally and inconsistently — a surprise $2 "you've been incredibly helpful this week" lands differently from a guaranteed rate card.

The bins-out equivalent in adult life

If you want to give your child a sense of perspective:

A cleaning company in Sydney charges roughly $40–$60/hour for domestic cleaning. Two minutes of bins-dragging at that rate is about $1.30–$2.00.

So $1.50/week is actually pretty close to market rate for skilled domestic labour. Your child is being reasonably compensated.

How to end the negotiation once and for all

Set a clear system and stick to it:

1. Base pocket money is unconditional — it reflects their age and family participation generally
2. Household contributions (bins, dishes, tidying) are expected as part of being in the family
3. Optional extra tasks (mowing a larger lawn, washing the car, something genuinely above and beyond) can earn a bonus

With this structure, the bins question answers itself: it's not a paid job, it's a family job. The pocket money is already accounting for it.

The verdict

If you must put a number on it: $1–$2/week for the bins is fair for primary-school age, and $2–$4/week for older kids.

But the more important question is whether you're creating a household where contributions are expected, respected, and connected to a broader sense of belonging — or a fee-for-service arrangement where your kid is a very small contractor.

The first approach raises better humans. And it's cheaper.