Home / Life Holiday tipping for parents: Who gets paid, and how much? Mail carrier and teacher and dog walker, oh my! By Motherly December 11, 2018 Ah, the holidays—full of festive cheer, parties, mistletoe… and complete and utter confusion about how much to tip whom. Remember: Tipping and giving gifts to the people that help you throughout the year is a great way to show your appreciation, but it’s never required. Ultimately, listen to your heart (and your budget) and decide what’s right for your family. Here is our etiquette guide to tipping and gifting everyone on your list. Teachers You can decide if you’d like to do a class gift . Ask people to contribute what they can, if they’d like to Sign the gift from the entire class—don’t single out the people that weren’t able to contribute Idea: a small gift and then a gift card bought with the rest of the money, and a card signed by all the children …or a personal gift. Amount/value is very up to you—you may factor in how many days/week your child is in school and how much you pay for tuition. Anywhere from $5-$150 has been done. Idea: a personalized tote bag and gift card, with a picture drawn by your child Babysitters, nannies + au pairs Up to one night’s pay for a babysitter Up to one week’s pay for a nanny or au pair. Homemade gift from the child Daycare teachers $25-70/teacher and a card from your child School bus driver A non-monetary gift of $10-$20 (i.e. a gift card) Ballet teacher/soccer coach Consider a group gift or personal gift (see teacher gift above) Up to $20 value if doing a personal gift Mail carrier A gift up to a $20 value, but they are not allowed to receive cash or a gift card that can be exchanged for cash. UPS/Fed Ex A gift up to a $20 value, depending on the number of packages you get. Avoid cash if possible. Sanitation workers $10-30 each Make sure you find out if the same people pick up the recycling and the trash—there may be two different teams to think about. Cleaning person Up to one week’s pay Hair stylist Up to the cost of one haircut/style Dog walker Up to one week’s pay Doorman $15-80 each depending on number of doormen Boss/Co-workers You are not required to give your boss a gift. In some instances, it may be inappropriate to do so—so you’ll have to think about what seems right for you Never give cash Consider giving an office gift—bring coffee or donuts to the office for everyone, buy an assortment of teas for the staff lounge, replace the microwave that everyone hates, etc Organize an office Secret Santa—it’s a great way to boost morale and have fun, without needing to decide who to buy for. (Hint: We love Elftser for easy Secret Santa organizing!) Neighbors Gifts that show thought, and are easy to buy/make in bulk! Such as… Wine (mini-bottles work well too) Homemade hot chocolate mix in a jar DIY dip-mix ornaments Baked goodies Candles