Chore Chart Maker
List the chores and who’s at home, and get a fair split by time that takes turns each week. Print the chart for the fridge or tick chores off on your phone; names stay on this device.
Key facts
- On an average day in 2025, 87% of women and 75% of men in the US spent some time on household activities such as housework, cooking, lawn care and household management.
This week · 11 chores · 12 h 5 min
A fair split for each share
Everyone is within 15 min of their fair share this week.
- Alex4 h 50 min
- Sam5 h 5 min
- Mia2 h 10 min
Next
Chores children can do, by ageFrom ages 2–3 up to teens, with one tap to add
What the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry suggests children can do at each age. Tap a chore to add it, then give the child a smaller share or lock it to them. The minutes are our suggestion.
Ages 2–3
Children can put toys and groceries away and dress themselves with help.
Ages 4–5
Children can help feed pets, make their beds and help clear the table after dinner.
Ages 6–7
Children can wipe tables and counters, put laundry away and sweep floors.
Ages 7–9
Children can load and unload the dishwasher, help with meal preparation and pack their own lunch.
Ages 10–11
Children can change their sheets, clean the kitchen or bathrooms and do yard work.
Ages 12+
Children can wash the car and help with younger siblings; teens can help with grocery shopping and errands.
Source: AACAP, “Chores and Children”, Facts for Families No. 125, updated June 2018.
How the split worksMinutes, biggest jobs first, and taking turns
Time is the measure. Each chore counts its minutes each time × how many times it happens that week, so daily washing-up at 20 minutes is 2 h 20 min a week. Every-2-weeks and every-4-weeks chores count in the weeks they fall in.
Biggest jobs first. Locked chores go to their person; then the rest are handed out from the biggest down, each to whoever would have the lightest load for their share afterwards (minutes ÷ share). This “longest job first” rule is a classic way to split work evenly: with equal shares it is never more than a third above the best possible largest load, and usually within minutes of it.
Taking turns. A chore you did recently counts as heavier for you: twice its time if you did it last week, fading to nothing over as many weeks as there are people. So jobs move round from week to week, and ties go to whoever did that chore longest ago. Every device works the weeks out the same way, counting from the first week of 2024, so the chart for a given week is always the same.
Shares. A 50% share gets half the minutes of a full share. Try one for a young child, or for someone who works long hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the chore chart split the chores fairly?
Each chore counts by its time: minutes per time × how often it happens that week. The biggest jobs are handed out first, each to whoever would then have the lightest load for their share, which lands within a few minutes of an even split for most households. The bars above the chart show each person’s minutes against their fair share.
What does “Take turns” do?
With Take turns, jobs move round from week to week: a chore you did last week counts as heavier for you this week, so it usually goes to someone else, while the totals stay fair. Use the arrows to see next week’s chart. Same jobs keeps everyone on the same chores every week, which some families prefer.
Can a child or a busy adult do less?
Yes. Give anyone a smaller share, such as 50% for a young child or someone working long hours, and they get about half the minutes of a full share. You can also lock a chore to one person (Who does it → a name), such as feeding the cat, and it always goes to them.
Are our names saved or shared?
Names are saved only in this browser, so the chart remembers them next time. They are never put in the link: Copy link shares the chores, shares and settings, and whoever opens it sees “Person 1”, “Person 2” until they type their own names. Opening someone else’s link shows their chart without replacing yours: choose Use this one or Back to mine. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
How do I print the chore chart?
Press Print. The chart fills one page in landscape on A4 or US Letter (choose under More options), with a box in every slot to tick, so it works on the fridge or laminated with a dry-erase pen. Ink-saving prints it without colour fills. Leave the print scale at 100%.
Can we tick chores off on a phone?
Yes. Choose Tick off to see a day’s chores with who does each, and tap to tick them. Ticks are kept in this browser for each week, and each person’s count for the week shows at the top.