Holiday tipping season is here. How much etiquette experts and consumers are giving their childcare providers, mail carriers, and more.
The median amount this year is about $20 to $50 per worker, according to consumers. Experts say the amount differs based on whether it's for a hairdresser, babysitter, or dog walker.
The holiday-tipping season is upon us once again.
And with it comes the annual consternation over whom to tip and how much.
More consumers are feeling generous this year and plan to give a gift to their trash collectors, childcare providers, and mail carriers, according to a new national survey from Bankrate. The median holiday-tip amounts, however, remain similar to what they were in previous years, between $20 and $50 per service worker.
“Holiday tips are a nice way to show your appreciation for hardworking people who have helped you throughout the year,” Ted Rossman, Bankrate’s senior industry analyst, said in a statement. “If you can’t afford to tip everyone, consider who went above and beyond to make your life easier.”
His advice jibes with what etiquette experts, trash collectors, mail carriers, and other service workers have told The Inquirer in recent years.
“The reality is that for tipping to work well, it should feel good for everyone involved,” Daniel Senning, author and spokesperson at the Emily Post Institute, told The Inquirer during the 2022 holiday season, when some consumers were especially anxious about tipping amid record inflation two years into the pandemic.
What people are tipping this holiday season
The median holiday-tip amounts for six service providers, according to Bankrate’s survey, are:
Housekeeper: $50
Childcare provider: $50
Landscaper, gardener, or snow remover: $30
Teacher: $25
Mail carrier: $20
Trash or recycling collector: $20
The percentage of people who plan to tip their service providers, in all of these categories, is higher this year compared to 2021.
More than half of people with housekeepers, childcare providers, or teachers in their lives plan to tip, according to Bankrate, up from closer to 40% four years ago. About a quarter of consumers tip their trash collectors (in some municipalities, like Philadelphia, trash collectors are prohibited from accepting tips), and a third tip their mail carriers, who aren’t allowed to accept cash gifts per U.S. Postal Service rules.
Gen Z and millennials, who are in their 20s to early 40s, are more regular and generous holiday tippers than older generations, according to Bankrate, which surveyed more than 2,300 adults in early November.
How much you should tip, according to etiquette experts
December comes with a lot of expenses between gifts, food, and holiday decor. Etiquette experts stress that it’s OK if you aren’t able to tip service providers. For some garbagemail carriers and trash collectors, Christmas cookies, handmade gifts, or colored thank-you notes from children can be just as meaningful.
If you are in a position to give this season, the following amounts would be appropriate, according to international etiquette expert Diane Gottsman’s annual holiday tipping guide:
Trash Collector — Philadelphia municipal workers are prohibited from accepting tips or gifts. If you live elsewhere, check local regulations. If there aren’t restrictions, hand them $10-$25 per person.
Mail carriers — Postal Service workers are not permitted to accept cash or cash equivalents, per federal policy, but they can accept a gift valued at $20 or less.
Package delivery worker — UPS drivers are allowed to accept a small gift of nominal value, while FedEx drivers can accept a gift valued at $75 or less (no cash or gift cards)
Regular handyman — $20-$100
Building doorman — $20-$100 (give the same amount to each)
Landlord or building manager — $50 or more
Regular housekeeper — Equivalent to one day’s or week’s service (depending on how often they come)
Lawn maintenance person or pool cleaner — Equivalent to one week’s service
Hair stylist, manicurist, personal trainer, or massage therapist — A tip or gift card equivalent to one visit
Regular babysitter — A cash equivalent to one night’s pay or a gift card
Nanny — One week’s to one month’s pay and a gift from your child(ren)
Regular barista or bartender — $20
Child’s teacher(s) — A small gift certificate (such as to a coffee shop) or contribution to a class gift
Child’s bus driver — $20 each
After-school dance teacher, tutor, or coach — $25 cash or a gift certificate
Regular dog walker — A cash gift equivalent to one day’s or one week’s service
Regular pet groomer — A cash gift equivalent to one service
Newspaper delivery person — $10-$30
You do not need to tip the following people but you could leave them a small, homemade token of appreciation:
Cable/IT professional
Chiropractor
Dentist
Doctor
Tailor
Lawyer
Dry cleaner