Holiday tipping · 2026
Holiday tipping guide 2026
For people who help you every week, like a housekeeper, nanny or dog walker, most guides suggest up to one week's pay. For people you see per visit, like a hairdresser, barber or groomer, the usual range is up to the cost of one visit. Mail carriers are different: federal rules allow a small non-cash gift, not cash.
Based on: Emily Post, AARP
Who to tip and how much: the usual holiday ranges
These are the ranges published by the Emily Post Institute and AARP, with Bankrate’s 2025 survey medians where it asked about that role. They are reference points, not rules. The call is yours.
- Weekly helpers and per-visit services are figured differently. For someone who comes every week, the guides start from a week's pay. For a per-visit service, they start from the cost of one visit. Emily Post
- If you already tip at every visit, Emily Post says you can skip the year-end tip or give a smaller one. Emily Post
- Cash or a gift, not both. Emily Post notes you rarely need to give cash and a gift, and that a short handwritten note of two or three sentences belongs with either. Emily Post
Plan your holiday list
Plan your list
Who’s on your list this year?
Your total
$0
Tap the people you'd like to thank.
Emily Post’s advice is plain: don’t go over your budget. A handwritten thank-you is a real option. Nothing here is saved or sent.
Mail carriers and delivery drivers: what is allowed
USPS mail carriers
$20
gift limit per occasion, such as Christmas
$50
in gifts from one customer in a year
No cash
or cash equivalents, like checks or cash-like gift cards
Postal employees follow the federal ethics rules for the executive branch USPS · 5 CFR 2635.204. So the usual route is a small gift: Emily Post lists snacks, drinks and small items clearly worth no more than $20. Guides differ on store gift cards: AARP says a non-cash gift card up to $20 is fine, while Emily Post says carriers may not accept gift cards AARP · Emily Post. A small gift and a note avoids the question.
A tippos tip is not the right fit for a USPS carrier, because it works like cash for the person who claims it.
FedEx, UPS and Amazon drivers
AARP reports that FedEx drivers are discouraged from accepting tips but can accept gifts worth up to $75, and that UPS and Amazon don’t have official tipping policies AARP. Emily Post suggests a small gift in the $20 range for a regular package deliverer, and notes most delivery companies discourage or prohibit cash Emily Post. We could not find an official FedEx or UPS policy page, so a small gift is the simplest choice here too.
Trash and recycling crews
In some places these workers are government employees who can’t accept tips. AARP suggests checking your city or county’s website first AARP.
How to decide on an amount
The ranges above are a starting point. Things the guides suggest weighing Emily Post:
- How often they help you, and for how long you've worked together.
- Your relationship with the person.
- Local custom. What people around you usually give.
- Your budget. Don't exceed it. A homemade gift or a heartfelt written thank-you is a real option.
For a quick number from a weekly rate or a per-visit price, the free tippos tip calculators do the math.
A holiday tip without cash: tippos
Plenty of people on a holiday list are hard to hand cash to: the cleaner who comes while you’re at work, the night-shift doorman, the dog walker who picks up the key from a lockbox. tippos is a cashless way to give an individual a tip.
- 1
Choose an amount.
No account or sign-up is needed to give.
- 2
Add your card.
You pay the tip plus a platform fee, shown before you pay.
- 3
Get a one-time claim code or QR code.
Tuck it into a card, hand it over, or share it, with a message if you like.
- 4
They claim it at tippos.app.
Nothing is charged until the tip is claimed.
The recipient does not see your name or contact details.
Timing: the code lasts 7 days
A tippos code expires if it isn’t claimed within 7 days, and you aren’t charged. That matters for holiday cards. If you write the card in early December but the person won’t open it until after the holidays, the code may run out first. Give it close to when they’ll see it, or share it on the day.
What the recipient does
They claim the tip at tippos.app and set up payouts with Stripe. The full tip is credited to their own Stripe account, and Stripe pays it out to an account verified in their name on its payout schedule. Receiving tips is free.
tippos is available in the U.S., in the states listed in the app, and givers need a U.S.-issued card. It’s for individuals tipping individual service providers.
Frequently asked questions
How much do you tip a housekeeper for the holidays?+
Emily Post suggests up to one week's pay and/or a small gift, and AARP suggests the equivalent of one week's fee. In Bankrate's 2025 survey, the median holiday tip for a housekeeper among people who tipped was $50.
How much is a holiday tip for a hairdresser?+
Both Emily Post and AARP point to about the cost of one visit. If several people at the salon work on your hair, Emily Post suggests dividing that amount among them.
Can I tip my mail carrier for Christmas?+
Not with cash. USPS policy allows a gift worth $20 or less per occasion and bars cash and cash equivalents, such as checks or gift cards that can be exchanged for cash. A small gift with a note is the usual route.
What is a typical holiday tip for a nanny or babysitter?+
For a nanny, AARP suggests the equivalent of one week's pay, and Emily Post suggests up to one week's pay plus a gift from your child for a live-in nanny or au pair. For a regular babysitter, Emily Post suggests up to one evening's pay and a small gift from your child.
How much do you tip a doorman for the holidays?+
Emily Post's range is $15 to $80, with $15 or more each if there are several doormen. AARP suggests $20 to $100 per person for building staff.
Can I put a tippos code in a holiday card?+
Yes, as long as the person will open it soon. The code expires if it isn't claimed within 7 days, and you aren't charged if that happens. Nothing is charged until the tip is claimed.
A holiday thank-you, without cash
Pick the amount, add your card, and hand over a code. Nothing is charged until it’s claimed, and the recipient does not see your name or contact details.
Leave a tipSources & methodology
Sources reviewed: October 25, 2026
Every range on this page comes from the source named beside it. Bankrate's medians are from its 2025 survey; the 2026 survey is usually published in early December.
- The Emily Post Institute — Holiday Tipping GuideEmily Post
- AARP — The Ultimate Holiday Tipping Guide (updated Dec 9, 2025)AARP
- Bankrate — Fewer Americans Plan to Give Holiday Tips This Year (Dec 3, 2025)Bankrate
- Bankrate — 2025 Holiday Tipping Survey (YouGov, 2,445 U.S. adults)Bankrate survey
- U.S. Postal Service — Employee Tipping and Gift-Receiving Policy (Postal Bulletin 22349)USPS
- 5 CFR 2635.204(a) — Gifts of $20 or less (Cornell LII)5 CFR 2635.204