Said It Here

Should I charge my adult child living at home for expenses?

Charging adult children helps teach them real-world financial responsibilities, but it can also drain the savings they need to move out. Parents are torn between covering household costs like food and utilities and ensuring their kids can build a nest egg for the future.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    putting the money paid by the adult child into a hidden savings account to return to them later as a down payment
  2. 2
    having adult children buy groceries and cook for the family on set nights instead of paying direct cash
  3. 3
    making them responsible for specific individual bills like phones and gas while keeping housing free
  4. 4
    requiring them to move out immediately upon graduation to achieve full financial independence

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/Parenting3 people · September 2026

“If they choose to continue living at home after they graduate in about a year, we are considering charging them an amount that covers their share of household expenses, such as food, utilities, and general wear and tear; is this fair, and do you have any thoughts on this? How should we approach this?”source ↗

DopeCyclist · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

“If my kid is paying me, then that is less money they are putting in their savings account. They are living here to save money. I don't and won't charge my adult kids rent.”source ↗

bethaliz6894 · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

“Morally torn here myself. One side I see a good lesson on teaching your kids how the world works with baby steps into bills, etc. On the other hand I feel like making sure they are setting themselves up for success and moving out and on with their life with hopefully a saved nest egg.”source ↗

tumadreporfavor · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

r/Parentingfamily financesparentingyoung adults

People with this problem also raised