How Much To Spend On A Birthday Gift (UK 2026)
How much to spend on a birthday gift
Birthday spending is the least standardised of the lot, because it depends entirely on the relationship. The ranges below are what most UK households actually do.
Use them as a floor and a ceiling, then let the card carry the rest.
Birthday cards to go with it
Blank inside, designed in house, posted first class.
You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card)
£3.87
Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card)
£3.87
Sixty Looks Pretty Good On You (60th Birthday Card)
£3.87
Top Trumps 60th Birthday Card for Dad
£3.87
Top Trumps 90th Birthday Card for Dad
£3.87
Happy Birthday Papa (Happy Birthday Card) (Multiple designs)
£3.87
Typical amounts by relationship
- Partner: £30 to £150, depending entirely on your household.
- Child (your own): £30 to £100, often one main gift plus small extras.
- Child's friend at a party: £10 to £15 is the settled UK norm.
- Close friend: £20 to £40.
- Wider friend or colleague: £10 to £20, or a group card and collection.
- Parent or sibling: £25 to £50.
- Grandparent: £20 to £40, with the keepsake mattering more than the price.
- Nieces and nephews: £15 to £30, usually matched across all of them.
Milestone birthdays
- 18th and 21st: £50 to £100 from close family, £20 to £30 from friends.
- 30th and 40th: £30 to £50 from friends, more from family.
- 50th, 60th and beyond: often a group gift or an experience rather than an object.
- 70th, 80th and 90th: keepsakes and framed prints outrank spending. Attendance is the gift.
- Any milestone: a group contribution buys one good thing instead of six forgettable ones.
Giving money instead
- Children: £10 to £20 from wider family, £20 to £50 from grandparents.
- Teenagers: £20 to £50, and it will be spent within a week.
- Adults: cash is unusual outside close family - a voucher reads better.
- Always put it in a card. Money without a card is a transfer, not a gift.
When the budget is tight
- A handwritten letter is the gift people quote back to you decades later.
- Offer time instead - childcare, a lift, a day of help with something they dread.
- One small, specific thing they mentioned once beats a generic larger one.
- Say nothing about the budget. Nobody is doing the maths except you.
Never miss the birthday again
Pop in the date and we'll email you a reminder two weeks before, with a link to the right cards. No spam, and you can unsubscribe in one click.
How to write it so it lands
- Pick one figure per relationship type and use it all year. It removes the annual guesswork entirely.
- Put the money in the card, not in an envelope beside it.
Where to shop next
- How much to give as a wedding gift
- How much to spend on a christening gift
- Secret Santa spending limits
- Teacher gift etiquette and budgets
- Best 60th birthday gifts
- Best 50th birthday gifts
- Best birthday cards for mum
- Milestone birthday cards
- How to plan a birthday party
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- Birthday badges & party pins
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- Party bag ideas for adults
- How much helium do you need for balloons?
- Birthday pin badges
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
How much should you spend on a child's birthday party gift?
£10 to £15 is the standard UK amount for a classmate's party, and most parents set the same figure for every party that year.
How much should you spend on a milestone birthday?
£50 to £100 from close family for an 18th or 21st, and a group gift for later milestones where one good thing beats several small ones.
Is it rude to give cash for a birthday?
Not for children, teenagers or close family. For friends and colleagues a voucher usually reads better than notes.