How Cash App Sponsorship Works: Adding, Removing and Managing Parental Controls

Teenagers need a safe, secure way to build healthy financial habits and gradually gain independence with parental supervision. Giving them an allowance is a great way to get them started, but doling out dollar bills isn’t always convenient in today’s digital world. You need a simple, easy way to send money to your kid without having to think about it, while keeping a watchful eye on their spending and saving to guide them down the right path. 

Cash App sponsorship lets teens age 13-17 [1] begin practicing smart spending and saving with parental oversight from the first click. You’ll get the peace of mind you need — not to mention the convenience of automating that allowance — while your teen learns to manage money with your supervision. 

Here’s everything you need to know about how to sponsor your teen on Cash App and help them build healthy financial habits for the future. 

What a Cash App sponsor can do

A Cash App sponsor is the legal owner of a teen’s Sponsored Account. As their sponsor, you can get real-time transaction notifications, see account balances and view monthly statements so you know exactly how your teen is spending and saving their money. 

Sponsors also have control over what teens can do with a Sponsored Account. A sponsor can set limits on how much their teen can spend, block certain investments [5] or merchants and lock or unlock their Cash App Card instantly, making it simple to put guardrails for sensible spending in place. 

Adding a teen in Cash App Family

Sponsoring your teen’s Cash App account is simple and easy to set up. Under the “Money” tab, tap “Family,” then “Get Started.” If you have a verified account, you can follow the prompts to input the contact information of the teen you want to sponsor. If not, tap “I’m a parent or guardian” and follow the prompts. Your teen will receive an invitation to download Cash App and set up their sponsored account so the two of you can manage money together. 

Unlike Managed Accounts, which are for children aged 6-12 [2], teens can start the process of opening a Cash App account themselves, then send a sponsorship request to a parent or guardian for teen account approval. However, they can only launch their account with your approval as their sponsor, meaning you’ll have complete oversight and supervision over how they use the app. 

Steps for a teen to add a sponsor

You can also set up a Cash App sponsorship as a teenager by following these simple steps:

1. Open your Cash App profile and select “Family,” followed by “I’m a teen.”
2. Enter your chosen sponsor’s information to initiate a sponsorship request.
3. Once approved, you’ll unlock access to the sponsorship features and benefits.

Sponsor request limits

To protect teens’ safety and security, Cash App puts limits to how many sponsor requests they can send in a period of time. If your teen sends too many sponsor requests, they may be blocked from sending further requests with the message “Sponsor request limit reached.” Another reason they might encounter this issue is because the account they’re requesting to be their sponsor is not verified. 

You can try verifying your account to resolve this issue, if it isn’t already verified. Another option is to wait a week or so for the number of sponsor requests to reset, then try again. You can also contact Cash App support directly in the app for assistance resolving the issue. 

Sponsored accounts keep teens safe from fraud

You want your teen to gain independence and take on new responsibilities, but you also want to protect them from bad actors and youthful mistakes. By sponsoring your teen’s Cash App account, you’re giving them the chance to learn financial basics and gain independence in a safe, controlled digital banking** ecosystem that’s already trusted by almost 60 million users*.  

In addition to spending and investing limits, real-time transaction alerts and instant debit card locking, Cash App sponsored accounts are protected by 24/7 fraud monitoring. Always-on features, such as blocking potentially unauthorized card activity, protect your teen from scammers and security risks, with the goal to keep them and their money safe from fraud. 

Graduating from a sponsored account

Sponsored Accounts are specifically for teens aged 13-17; when they age out of that range, they can transition seamlessly into a full-fledged Cash App account. When a Sponsored Account holder turns 18, they’ll receive a notification in the app that they’re eligible to get started. 

After verifying their identity through the app, they’ll have full access to all the features of an individual account. This also means that your account and their sponsored account will be disconnected. You’ll lose visibility and oversight of their account, and they will become the owner of any balances or investments [5] held in the sponsored account. 

Here’s an overview of how Cash App sponsorship works, from parental controls to savings yields.

Help your teen start building financial savvy with your guidance and supervision. Sponsor them in Cash App today.

Disclosures

* Block, Inc. Q1 2026 Shareholder letter (https://s29.q4cdn.com/628966176/files/doc_financials/2026/q1/Block_Q1-2026-Shareholder-Letter.pdf)
** Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). See cash.app for more details. Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. See terms and conditions for the Sutton prepaid card (cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement), Sutton debit flex card (cash.app/legal/us/en-us/debit-flex-card-agreement-sutton), and Bancorp debit flex card (cash.app/legal/us/en-us/debit-flex-card-agreement-bancorp). Savings provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand.
[1] Teens 13 to 17 can use Cash App with sponsorship by an eligible parent or guardian. To view the eligibility requirements for sponsoring a teen, please visit the Sponsored Accounts section of the Cash App Terms of Service (cash.app/legal/us/en-us/tos#sponsored-accounts).
[2] Parents and legal guardians can open a managed account for kids 6–12. To view the eligibility requirements, please visit the Sponsored Accounts section of the Cash App Terms of Service (cash.app/legal/us/en-us/tos#sponsored-accounts).
[3] Cash App will pass through a portion of the interest paid on your savings balance held in an account for the benefit of Cash App customers at Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Member FDIC. To earn interest on your Cash App savings balance, you need to have sponsor approval. Exceptions may apply. Savings yield rate is subject to change.
[4] With a Cash App Card, your money is eligible for FDIC pass-through insurance through Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Sutton Bank, and/or The Bancorp Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, for up to $250,000 per customer when aggregated with all other deposits held in the same legal capacity at each bank, if certain conditions are met. See the Cash App Terms of Service at cash.app/us/en/legal/tos#fdic-pass-through-insurance. Cash App is a financial services platform, and not an FDIC-insured bank. Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.
[5] Brokerage services provided by Cash App Investing LLC, member FINRA (https://www.finra.org/) / SIPC (https://www.sipc.org/), subsidiary of Block, Inc. See our BrokerCheck (https://brokercheck.finra.org/firm/summary/144076). Stablecoin, Bitcoin Map, and Lightning Network are not available to New York residents. Bitcoin services provided by Block, Inc. Bitcoin services are not licensable activity in all U.S. states and territories. Block, Inc. operates in New York as Block of Delaware and is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Investing and bitcoin are non-deposit, non-bank products that are not FDIC insured and involve risk, including monetary loss. Cash App Investing does not trade bitcoin and Block, Inc. is not a member of FINRA or SIPC. For additional information, see the Bitcoin and Cash App Investing disclosures. Fractional shares investing may involve additional risks such as non-transferability. For additional information regarding the unique risks and limitations of fractional shares, please see your Investing Customer Account Agreement (https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/cash-investing-account-agreement).