How much should I tip the doorman this holiday season?

We offer some considerations and resources on the topic of holiday tipping. (ddp)

It’s a persistent conundrum because there is no hard and fast rule. What one “should” tip depends on personal finances as well as where you live, what types of services are being provided and how often you use these services.

What is a tip?

A key to thinking about how much to give is to think of it not as a ‘gift’ and more as something that’s been earned through the year. “Take some time to consider how helpful various people have been in your life,” says Andy Peake, a Managing Director and Financial Advisor for UBS International in New York City. “Are you a resident who is fairly self-sufficient, or do you get many deliveries a week? Do you rely on staff to bring heavy items to the door? Have you needed the super to fix many things thing this year?” If you haven’t employed much of the services, then you could consider giving less but if staff have done a lot for you, err on the generous side, suggests Peake.

If you moved into the building less than a year ago, then it is acceptable to give less, adds Peake. Another valid reason to give less is if you’re in the habit of tipping as you go through the year for individual services.

One can also think of a year-end tip as an investment in your own comfort for the coming year. “It’s technically a tip for the year that is now ending but can also be considered a tip ahead of time. Those working in the building may be inclined to go that extra step to help you out next year if they know you are someone who shows appreciation,” says Peake.

Ways to tip

Typically, a building will leave cards for each household indicating who and how many are on staff. Some jobs are much more visible than others. For example you may see and chat with the front desk staff every day, while almost never see the after-hours cleaning crew. It’s helpful to look over the holiday notes from your building to make sure that the invisible hands are also taken into your consideration.

Different buildings tend to have different customs. Some leave it up to residents to tip individuals personally, in the form of cash or check in an envelope. More recently, tipping via person-to-person apps like Venmo has also become popular

Some buildings, especially large buildings with a big staff, will have a drop off box where a single tip can be placed and the money is pooled and distributed either equitably or according to role and seniority. If you’ve contributed to the pool, you are no longer expected to tip individually. However, you can play favorites if you want. “You can put something in the pool and then give those who have been particularly helpful an extra individual tip too,” points out Peake.

If you are a business owner, it is typical to tip the service people that help maintain the office such as those who clean and work in the mail room. Typically an office manager will pool contributions from staff and divide equitably.

So how much, exactly?

Peake shares that he plans to tip his super USD 600, the fulltime doormen USD 200 each and part-time staff USD 50-100 each. But of course, every person’s situation varies. Some useful resources for knowing how much is appropriate in your situation are below:

Real Estate Brokerage Triple Mint has a Tip-O-Meter. You can input your status (renter or owner), size of building, tenure in building and frequency of service use. It also asks if you’re on a budget, want to give a “typical” tip or if you’d like to be particularly generous. It will then provide a range of how much would be appropriate to tip various staff. For example, a renter, who has lived in her 1 bedroom New York apartment for 3 years, in a building with 100 apartments, who uses services an average amount and would like to tip on the generous side is suggested to give USD 122-184 per staff, with super and doormen being higher within that range. The range for the Tip-O-Meter maxes out at USD 600.

Real Estate website Brick Underground provides this general framework for 2021, based on a survey of New Yorkers.

• Super, resident manager: USD 75-175 on average (broad range: USD 50- 500)
• Doorman and/or concierge (the latter handles more personal requests, like lining up an emergency dog-walker): USD 50-150 on average (broad range: USD 20-1,000)
• Porter, handyman, and maintenance staff: USD 20-30 on average (broad range: USD 20- USD 75)
• Garage attendant: USD 25-75 on average (broad range USD 15-100)

See the full survey results of how 2,000+ New Yorkers tipped last year.

The Emily Post Institute offers the following suggestions for residents across the country:

• Superintendent: USD 20-80
• Doorman USD 15-80
• Handyman USD 14-40
• Trash/Recycling collectors: USD 10-30

Peake adds that for mail men USD 25-30 is appropriate.

It’s been a hard year

2020 and 2021 have been particularly hard years, so if there’s a time to be generous, it is now. “Think of all the extra grocery deliveries and all the extra sanitizing this year and the fact that service staff have had to continue to work in jobs that engage with people during a pandemic,” points out Peake.

And if you yourself have struggled this year, a gift or note in lieu of cash is also appreciated. One doorman who works in a Midtown Manhattan building points out that it’s ok to write a thank you note and say that you hope you can be in a better position to give more next year. “A simple gesture of appreciation is always heartwarming.”

For more on gifting, read the Holiday 2021 gifting guide, published 19 November 2021, and Give to others, not the IRS, published 17 November, 2021.

Main contributor: Wendy Mock