The costs of bringing up a child do not end when they enter adulthood - parents end up spending an average of £21,540 on adult children, a survey suggests.
The poll of 1,184 people with children aged 18 and older found 94% helped them pay for education, housing and cars.
And 55% admitted to helping their grown-up children with general living costs, according to the YouGov poll.
The survey, carried out for insurers LV, revealed parents gave an average £5,602 towards children's first homes.
Lifetime commitment
LV spokesman Nigel Snell said: "Our study shows that parents can no longer expect their children to pay their own way once they have flown the nest.
"More than ever it's true to say that having children means signing up to a lifetime financial commitment."
Of those surveyed, 62% said they helped their adult children because "they need the assistance", while 17% said their child had asked them for financial help.
Spending on adult childrenHowever, only 29% said they had received financial help from their own parents after leaving school.
The poll also found nearly a quarter of parents in their 40s still have children aged over 25 living with them.
Property ladder
Nearly half of the over-70s who responded were still helping their children.
BBC research previously showed one in seven parents with adult children had remortgaged or taken out a loan to help them get on the property ladder. Other studies have suggested parents contribute between £18,000 and £24,000 towards homes.
Meanwhile, last month it was revealed an estimated one in 10 students had nominated parents as "agents" to help them secure a university place.
^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~47~RS~)