Holiday Tipping Guide 2026: Who to Tip and How Much

Who to tip and how much

The table below follows the holiday tipping guide from The Emily Post Institute. Where the source says 'up to', the amount is a ceiling that you can lower if you see the person rarely or your budget is tight.

The Emily Post list has no line for a hairstylist or a teacher. For a hairstylist, the closest entries are the barber and salon-staff lines, so up to the cost of one visit is a reasonable anchor, and a small gift for each person who helped is a kind extra.

Home help, caregivers and child care

People who work in your home or care for family often get the largest tips, because the relationship is closest. The Emily Post Institute gives these guidelines:

• Live-in help such as a nanny, cook or housekeeper: one week to one month of pay as cash, plus a gift from you.
• Au pair or live-in nanny: up to one week's pay, plus a gift from the children.
• Personal caregiver: one week to one month of salary, or a gift.
• Nursing home staff: a gift the staff can share, such as flowers or food, not cash.
• Home health employees: check the agency's policy first, and if tips or gifts are prohibited, consider donating to the agency.

When a caregiver works through an agency, ask about its policy before you hand anything over. A shareable treat for the whole team, with a thank-you note naming the person who helped you most, is rarely a problem.

Mail carriers and delivery drivers: what's allowed

This is the one place where the rules are firm. The Postal Service says its employees may accept a non-cash gift from a customer worth $20 or less per occasion, with a limit of $50 in a calendar year from the same customer. Cash is not allowed, and that includes cash equivalents such as checks, money orders and major-brand gift cards.

The Emily Post Institute adds that carriers may accept snacks or drinks, and small items with little value such as a travel mug or hand warmers, when they are clearly worth no more than $20. Larger perishable gifts, such as a big fruit basket or cookie tin, must be shared with the whole branch. For other package deliverers, it suggests a small gift of around $20 and no cash, only if you receive regular deliveries.

Teachers, coaches and school staff

Teachers are the exception to the tipping habit. The Emily Post Institute says teachers are salaried professionals, so a cash tip is not appropriate and could be seen as currying favor. Books, office supply gift certificates and other thoughtful items are welcome instead.

Day care is different: its guide lists $25 to $70 for each staff member who works with your child, plus a small gift from the child. For a classroom teacher, our teacher gift ideas cover notes, books, treats and group gifts, and schools may have their own limits, so check the handbook.

Gift guide

Teacher Gifts

Gifts for classroom teachers, aides and coaches that work with school rules and a modest budget.

20 gift ideas

When a small gift beats a tip

• Choose a gift when the person's employer bans tips or cash.
• Choose a gift for salaried professionals such as teachers.
• Choose food the whole team can share when you can't tell who helped you.
• Add a handwritten note naming what the person did well this year.
• Keep a few low-cost options on hand from our gifts under $10 list for people you see rarely.

To avoid a last-minute scramble, write down everyone you want to thank, set a total, and decide in advance who gets cash and who gets a gift. Seeing the whole list at once makes it easier to keep your giving fair.