PlayStation provides two different purchase controls: Require Password at Checkout protects purchases made on an adult account, while a family manager’s Monthly Spending Limit controls what a child account can spend. They are separate settings, and turning on one does not replace the other.
You can enable the checkout-password requirement from Account Management, a PS5, a PS4, or the PlayStation App. A family manager, parent, or guardian can set a monthly amount for each child account from the web, a console, or the PlayStation Family app. A child limit starts at 0, and child purchases use the family manager’s wallet.
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The right setup depends on the account being used. If an adult profile is making the purchase, use the password prompt. If a child profile needs an allowance or no spending access, use Family Management. If both situations apply, configure both controls.
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What each PlayStation purchase control does
Choose the setting based on whose account is buying and whether you need an authentication prompt or a spending cap.
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| Setting | Account covered | What it controls | Who manages it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Require Password at Checkout | Adult account | Displays a password prompt whenever that account completes a PlayStation Store purchase | The adult account holder |
| Monthly Spending Limit | Child account in a PlayStation family | Caps the child’s Store purchases at a chosen amount per month | Family manager, parent, or guardian |
The password setting does not apply to child accounts, and it does not protect the act of adding money to a wallet. The child limit is not a password prompt: it is an amount cap administered by the family manager. Sony’s support documentation describes the two controls separately: Require Password at Checkout and child spending limits.
Which control should you use?
Use Require Password at Checkout when the concern is someone using an adult profile to complete a purchase without the account holder’s approval. The prompt asks for the password used to sign in to that account. It is an authentication step at checkout, not a spending budget.
Use Monthly Spending Limit when a child has a separate child account in the family. A limit of 0 blocks Store purchases under the family arrangement. A nonzero amount permits purchases up to the amount selected by the family manager, using the family manager’s wallet. It is therefore a permission and budget setting, not merely an alert.
Check these requirements first
- Use the adult account’s sign-in details when enabling Require Password at Checkout.
- Only the family manager, or a parent/guardian role with the permissions Sony provides, can set a child’s monthly limit.
- Each child should use their own child account in the family. A child using an adult account is a separate account-security problem, and the child limit described here cannot control purchases made from that adult account.
- Menu wording can vary by country and console software. The password instructions below come from Sony’s US support page; the spending-limit instructions come from Sony’s UK page. If your region shows equivalent account, family, or parental-control labels, use those regional labels.
There is also a passkey limitation. Sony’s US guidance says an account with a passkey set up cannot enable Require Password at Checkout. See Sony’s security best-practice guidance if you need to review the account’s sign-in security method.
Set up the account structure before limiting spending
First identify which profiles are adults and which are children. The child allowance works only through the family relationship and the child’s own account. If several children share an adult profile, the family manager cannot apply a child-specific limit to purchases made there. Create or use the appropriate child profile, then manage that profile from Family Management.
Also decide whether the goal is prevention or approval. Keeping a child’s amount at 0 prevents Store spending through the family arrangement. Entering an amount above 0 is an approval to pay for purchases up to that monthly amount under Sony Interactive Entertainment’s March 2026 US terms.
Turn on Require Password at Checkout for an adult account
When enabled, the PlayStation Store asks for the password used to sign in to the account at checkout. Sony summarizes the behavior as: “The password screen appears whenever you make a purchase.” The setting applies across devices used to access the PlayStation Store, so you do not have to repeat it separately on every console.
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Use Account Management on the web
- Open PlayStation Account Management and sign in to the adult account.
- Choose Payment Method.
- Turn on Require Password at Checkout.
After the switch is enabled, purchases made while signed in to that account should reach the password screen before completion. Keep the account password private; the feature is useful only if another person cannot simply enter it. Do not assume that having a payment card on file changes the setting: the control is tied to checkout for that adult account.
Use a PS5
- From the PS5 home screen, open Settings.
- Choose Users and Accounts.
- Open Account, then Payment and Subscriptions.
- Select Purchase Settings.
- Turn on Require Password at Checkout.
These labels are Sony’s documented PS5 route. A system update or regional software build may place an equivalent purchase setting under a slightly different label; search the Settings categories for purchase or payment controls if the wording is not identical.
Use a PS4
- Open Settings.
- Choose Account Management, then Account Information.
- Open Wallet, followed by Purchase Settings.
- Select Require Password for Purchases.
- Choose Yes.
Sony notes that the PS4 may require you to authenticate again when you open Wallet. That reauthentication is part of reaching the setting and is not evidence that the checkout-password control is enabled until you select Yes.
Use the PlayStation App
- Open the PlayStation App and select the PlayStation Store icon.
- Open the menu.
- Select Payment Methods.
- Turn on Require Password at Checkout.
The app changes the adult account’s Store setting rather than creating a separate mobile-only rule. Because the setting applies across devices, enabling it in the app also covers Store purchases made from that account on a console or the web.
What this setting does not cover
- Child accounts: Sony says Require Password at Checkout does not apply to them. Use the family manager’s monthly limit instead.
- Wallet funding: adding money to a wallet does not trigger this checkout-password requirement. Someone who can access the account or an already authorized payment method may still be able to add funds, so secure the account and payment method separately.
- Passkey-enabled accounts: Sony’s US documentation says the setting cannot be enabled while a passkey is set up.
For wallet behavior and child-account restrictions, Sony’s wallet funding guidance and accepted payment-method guidance explain that child accounts do not have their own wallets and cannot add funds.
Set a child account’s monthly spending limit
The family manager chooses a separate amount for each child. Child purchases are charged to the family manager’s wallet and remain subject to that child’s configured monthly amount. Sony sets the default at 0, which blocks the child account from purchasing Store content under this control.
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Changing the limit is a family-management decision. A child cannot raise their own allowance from the child profile, and a different child’s setting is not changed when you edit one account. Review the selected child’s name before saving so the amount is assigned to the intended profile.
Set the limit on the web
- Sign in to PlayStation Account Management with the family manager account.
- Open Family Management.
- Select the child account.
- Edit Monthly Spending Limit and save the amount.
Repeat the process for each child who needs a different allowance. The setting is per child, not one shared limit for the entire family.
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- Open Settings.
- Choose Family and Parental Controls.
- Select Family Management.
- Choose the child account.
- Open Parental Controls.
- Select Monthly Spending Limit and enter the amount.
The PS5 path starts from the family manager’s console settings. If you are signed in as the child, you will not have the management controls needed to change the limit. Switch to the family manager account before opening Family Management.
Set the limit on a PS4
- Open Settings.
- Choose Parental Controls/Family Management.
- Select Family Management.
- Choose the child account.
- Open Applications/Devices/Network Features.
- Select Monthly Spending Limit and enter the amount.
Sony says you may be asked to re-enter the account password. Complete that prompt as the family manager before editing the amount.
Use the PlayStation Family app
Sony also says the PlayStation Family app can manage a child’s limit from a mobile device. Open the family controls in the app, choose the child, and edit the monthly spending limit. Exact mobile labels can change with app releases, so use the family-management and spending-limit entries associated with the child profile.
How the limit and wallet work together
- The starting value is 0.
- A value of 0 prevents the child account from buying Store content through the family purchase arrangement.
- When the family manager sets an amount above 0, the child can make eligible purchases until the configured monthly amount is reached.
- The child does not receive an independent wallet for these purchases; charges use the family manager’s wallet.
- The allowance is set separately for every child account, so changing one child’s amount does not change another child’s amount.
Sony Interactive Entertainment’s US Terms of Service and User Agreement, dated March 2026, states that increasing a child account’s limit represents approval to pay for purchases up to that monthly amount. Read the current terms at Sony’s March 2026 Terms of Service and User Agreement. The practical implication is important: setting a nonzero limit is an authorization to spend up to that figure, not merely a notification preference.
How to use both controls together
These settings address different people and different failure modes. The following combinations make the distinction concrete.
| Situation | Control to configure | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| You want to stop another person from completing a purchase on your adult account | Require Password at Checkout | The account must enter its sign-in password at checkout |
| You want a child to have no Store spending | Set that child’s Monthly Spending Limit to 0 | The child account’s purchases are blocked under the family limit |
| You want a child to have a defined allowance | Set a nonzero Monthly Spending Limit for that child | Purchases can use the family manager’s wallet up to the approved monthly amount |
| You want to stop someone from adding money before buying | Secure wallet funding and account access separately | Require Password at Checkout does not cover wallet top-ups |
For example, an adult can enable Require Password at Checkout on their own account while leaving a child’s limit at 0. The adult then gets a password prompt for adult-account purchases, and the child account remains unable to purchase Store content through the family setup. If the family manager later approves an allowance, that change belongs in the child’s Monthly Spending Limit; it does not alter the adult account’s checkout-password switch.
Another example is a household with two children. The family manager can leave Child A at 0 and assign Child B a permitted amount. The accounts use the same family manager wallet, but the monthly limits remain separate. A purchase by one child does not convert the other child’s profile into an adult account or change the adult checkout setting.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Common problems and fixes
The password option is missing
- Check whether a passkey is configured. Sony’s US guidance says Require Password at Checkout is unavailable for accounts with a passkey.
- Confirm that you are editing an adult account. The setting is not a child-account control.
- Try the documented route for your platform or Account Management on the web. Labels differ between PS5, PS4, the app, and regions.
A child can still buy after you enabled the password setting
This is expected if the child is using a child account. Require Password at Checkout does not apply to child accounts. Sign in as the family manager and check that the child’s Monthly Spending Limit is 0 or set to the intended amount. Also verify that the child is using the correct family child account rather than an adult profile.
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A child’s purchase is declined even though money is available
Check the child’s monthly limit first. A full allowance prevents additional purchases under the limit arrangement even when the family manager’s wallet has funds. Confirm that the amount was changed for the correct child profile and that the family manager saved the change.
Someone added wallet funds without seeing a password prompt
That behavior is not covered by Require Password at Checkout. Sony separates wallet funding from Store checkout. Review who can sign in, remove payment methods that should not remain available, and use the account-security controls appropriate to your situation. Child accounts cannot add funds to their own wallet and instead rely on the family manager’s wallet.
The menu names do not exactly match
The documented password route is from Sony’s US support material, while the spending-limit route is from Sony’s UK support material. Console firmware, app versions, and regional account pages can use equivalent wording. Look for the same functional destination—purchase settings for the password prompt, or family management and monthly spending for a child—rather than assuming a missing exact phrase means the feature is unavailable.
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The wrong child’s limit was changed
Return to Family Management and verify the selected profile before editing again. Limits are assigned individually, so changing the amount for one child does not correct or replace another child’s amount. If the child was using an adult profile, move purchases to the child’s own family account before relying on the limit.
A practical setup checklist
- Identify which purchases must be protected: adult-account purchases, child-account purchases, or both.
- Give every child their own child account in the family.
- For each adult account that needs protection, enable Require Password at Checkout through Account Management, PS5, PS4, or the PlayStation App.
- For each child, open Family Management and set Monthly Spending Limit to 0 or to the approved monthly amount.
- Keep the adult sign-in password private and review wallet-funding access separately, because checkout-password protection does not cover top-ups.
- Recheck the setting after changing account roles, passkey configuration, console software, or the family arrangement.
Important limits of these controls
Neither setting is a general substitute for account security. Require Password at Checkout authenticates the adult account at the purchase step, but it does not ask for that password when money is added to the wallet. The child limit governs child accounts in the family structure; it does not retroactively control purchases made from an adult account used by a child. Sony’s support material also distinguishes child wallet behavior from adult wallet behavior, so the person managing the family wallet should protect that adult account and its payment methods.
No physical product is required. The relevant controls are account, console, and family settings. A wallet top-up method, including a gift card, funds a wallet but does not turn on either the checkout-password prompt or the child spending cap.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Require Password at Checkout work for a child account?
No. Sony says the setting applies to adult account purchases. Set the child’s Monthly Spending Limit in Family Management instead; the default is 0.
Can I set a different spending limit for each child?
Yes. The family manager selects each child separately and edits that child’s Monthly Spending Limit. The amounts are not one shared family total.
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A limit of 0 prevents the child account from purchasing Store content through the family purchase arrangement.
Where does a child’s purchase money come from?
Child accounts do not have their own wallets for this arrangement. Eligible purchases use the family manager’s wallet and remain subject to the child’s configured limit.
Does the checkout password protect wallet top-ups?
No. Require Password at Checkout applies to Store purchases, not adding money to a wallet. Secure wallet funding and account access separately.
Why can’t I turn on Require Password at Checkout?
Check whether the adult account has a passkey. Sony’s US guidance says the setting cannot be enabled while a passkey is set up. Also confirm that you are editing an adult account.
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Yes. Sony says the PlayStation Family app can manage a child’s limit. You can also use Account Management on the web.
What if my menu labels differ from these steps?
Sony’s documented routes vary by region, console software, and app version. Look for the equivalent purchase settings, Family Management, and Monthly Spending Limit entries.
The Bottom Line
Use Require Password at Checkout for adult-account purchases and a child’s Monthly Spending Limit for family spending control. Leave the child limit at 0 to block Store purchases, or set an approved amount above 0 using the family manager’s wallet. Remember that wallet top-ups are separate and that passkey-enabled accounts cannot enable the checkout-password setting.
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