December 1, 2019
Making your list and checking it twice? Part of your holiday preparations may including tipping the helpful people in your life.
We’ve done a little research on best practices for holiday tipping and rounded up some general guidelines below. Note: these are not hard and fast rules and will likely vary depending on your situation and some regional nuances.
Before we get into specific amounts, here are some factors to consider when deciding how much of a tip you should give (and if you even need to give one):
What is your relationship to this person? Someone you see regularly and that you’ve been seeing for years is more likely to be on your holiday tipping list versus someone you couldn’t pick out of a line.
Again, where you live and the type of building you live in are going to matter here. Expect to shell out more for staff if you own a unit in luxury high-rise in New York City than you would for the staff in a small apartment building where you rent in Tampa.
You’ll also want to factor in the length of time you’ve lived in a certain building, the seniority of the staff and the quality of service. Also: both renters and owners tip, but owners usually tip more since they have more financial stake in the building.
Here’s a range of tip amounts according to Brick Underground. Keep in mind these numbers are based on New York City apartments, so you may consider adjusting based on where you live.
For everyone else in your life, we’ve gone straight to the ultimate source of all things etiquette. Here’s a list of tipping guidelines from the Emily Post Institute:
For the people in your life who regularly make you look or feel good – barbers, hairdressers, personal trainers, massage therapists – tip up to the cost of one session or visit.
USPS employees are not allowed to accept cash tips, though they are allowed to receive gifts that are valued at $20 or less. NYC municipal employees (such as the sanitation crew) are also not allowed to accept tips.
For home health and nursing home employees, check with the agency on the tipping policy.
Similarly, for teachers, check your city’s policy on what sort of gift you’re allowed to give.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized professional advice. Articles on this site were commissioned and approved by Marcus by Goldman Sachs®, but may not reflect the institutional opinions of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Goldman Sachs Bank USA or any of their affiliates, subsidiaries or divisions.
Join our Marcus social media community, where we share content and inspiration to help improve your financial health. See you there!