Set up Kid Mode for a child under 13

Kid Mode gives a child under 13 their own jars, goals and lessons, with you in charge. You set it up in Settings, on the Family tab. It's free on every plan, and it's for tracking only: no real money moves.

Before you start

• You need to be the family owner, or a spouse or partner who can change Family, and 18 or older: only a parent or legal guardian can give the OK.
• Your account needs an email address: we email you a copy of your OK.
• Set up Kid Mode in a web browser. In the Beyond Payday phone or Windows apps, it shows how to open it in your browser instead.
• If you can add family members but can't set up Kid Mode, A kid (under 13) is dimmed and says who can.
• Kid Mode is made for kids 5 to 12. You only need your kid's first name and birth month and year. Kids never get a login, an email address or a password.

Steps

1. Open Settings (opens in a new tab) and select the Family tab.
2. Choose Add a family member, then A kid (under 13). For a child already in your family list, open their row's menu and choose Set up Kid Mode instead.
3. On About your kid, type a First name and pick the birth month and year. Pick Not sure if you'd rather not say the month. Check the suggested view, then choose Next.
4. On A grown-up's OK, read what we keep and never do, check the box to say you're the parent or legal guardian, and type your full name. Choose Next.
5. On Jars, Save and Spend are always on. Turn on the Give jar if you want one, add any starting amounts, and note where the real money is. Choose Next.
6. On Money in, set an Allowance and Ask me first if you want them. For the Big kid view you can also turn on the Job board, Family Bank and Borrowing. Choose Next.
7. The first time, pick Your grown-up PIN: 6 numbers, typed twice.
8. On Review, use Edit to change anything, then choose Turn on Kid Mode.
9. Choose Open Kid Mode on this device, pair your kid's tablet, or Done. Opening Kid Mode on this device signs you out of Beyond Payday here while your kid uses it; sign back in when you're done.

How it works

• The view is suggested from the age: the Little view under 8, the Big kid view from 8 to 12. You can pick the other one now or switch later, and switching keeps everything.
• Your OK comes first. Nothing about your kid is saved until you check the consent box. We email you a copy of your consent right away, and a second email about a day later to confirm it.
• Nothing is pre-checked. The Give jar, the allowance and every Big-only extra start off.
• "Most you'll add in a month" on Money in adds up the allowance (a weekly one can land 5 times) and the Family Bank caps. Borrowed money is paid back, and jobs pay only when you OK them, so they don't count.
• Your grown-up PIN lets you leave Kid Mode on a device, open a kid's jars without their code, and delete Kid Mode data. Kids never see it.

Good to know

• If you type an under-13 birthday when adding an adult or a teen, the form offers Set up Kid Mode instead and carries the name and birth month and year over. Saving a child under 13 from Edit also offers Set up for Kid Mode. If a full birthday is on file, Kid Mode keeps only the month and year.
• A child who already has their own login can't use Kid Mode.
• A second grown-up (Kid Mode is already on in your family) picks their grown-up PIN first, in Set your Kid Mode PIN, before the steps. For your safety we check it's you: your second sign-in step, your password, or for a Google or Apple sign-in, one from the last 10 minutes. If yours is older, choose Sign out and sign back in, and the setup opens again.
• If your kid is 13 or older, the setup offers Invite as a teen for their own login in the Teen view, or Use Kid Mode anyway. Under 5, it notes that Kid Mode is made for 5 to 12, and you can still go on.
• Once Kid Mode is in use, a Kid Mode PIN menu appears on the Family card to change or reset your PIN.
• Read the kids' privacy notice (opens in a new tab) for everything we keep about your child.

FAQ

Does Kid Mode cost extra? No. Kid Mode is free on every plan, including Free.

Does Kid Mode move real money? No. Kid Mode is for tracking only. It records money your kid keeps somewhere else, like a coin bank or money you hold for them.

Who can set up Kid Mode? The family owner, or a spouse or partner who can change Family. Child logins never see Kid Mode settings.

My kid is 13. Can they use Kid Mode? Kid Mode is made for kids under 13. The setup offers Invite as a teen, which gives them their own login in the Teen view, or Use Kid Mode anyway.

Does my kid need an email address? No. Kids in Kid Mode never have a login, an email address or a password. We only need a first name and a birth month and year.