Many parents expect their children to be fully financially independent after reaching adulthood and leaving home. However, for about half of parents, that’s not the case.
For its fourth annual report on parental support for grown children, Savings.com surveyed 1,000 U.S. parents of adult children with an average age of 56 and a median annual income between $50,000 and $74,999.
About 50% of participants said they provide regular financial support to their children aged 18 or up. In 2024, 47% of parents surveyed said the same, as did 45% in 2023.
The average monthly contribution reached a three-year high in 2025 of $1,474. That’s nearly $18,000 annually.
The average monthly spending on adult children reported by parents in 2024 was $1,384.
Savings.com broke down this spending by generation. Parents of Gen Zers (defined as people aged 18-28) contribute an average of $1,813 per month to their adult kids in 2025, compared with $1,515 in 2024. Millennials (29-44) receive an average of $863 per month from parents in 2025, compared with $907 in 2024.
Where’s all that money going? According to Savings.com, parents are contributing to their adult children’s:
- Groceries or food (83%)
- Cellphone (65%)
- Rent or mortgage (63%)
- Health insurance or health care (54%)
- Leisure or vacations (46%)
- Tuition or other school expenses (45%)
- Car (44%)
- Discretionary spending (44%)
- Student loans (23%)
- Credit cards (21%)
- Investments (14%)
Tuition and school expenses are the priciest monthly contributions by far at $1,198, followed by rent and mortgage with an average monthly contribution of $653. Cellphone contributions were lowest, with an average of $63 per month.
Most parents (77%) say these contributions typically come with stipulations, though.
For example, 48% percent of respondents said they require that their adult children have a job or, if unemployed, actively seek employment to get financial support.
About 45% said their adult children must be actively getting an education, and 26% said they must contribute to other household expenses, like paying a portion of rent or utilities if they still live at home.
In the 2025 survey, 23% of parents said they had no conditions attached to their financial support. That’s less than in 2024, when 29% of participants said the same.
Nearly 40% of parents also indicated they plan to cut off financial support in the next two years.
Financially contributing to children after they’ve reached adulthood comes at a high cost, with 50% of parents saying they’ve sacrificed their own financial security to help their children.
And surveyed parents who were actively working and supporting adult children said they contribute twice as much to their kids than they do to their retirement funds.
Savings.com concludes:
“Despite these subtle shifts away from unconditional assistance, our survey essentially confirms what we’ve seen in recent years: the ongoing need to financially support struggling adult children is placing significant strain on many parents’ financial security. This concerning pattern may face additional pressure if economic conditions worsen in the coming months.”
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