Moved to NYC 20 years ago and struggled with tipping. Read many articles, asked around, and finally settled on the following. Note: We don't have kids and don't require special treatment, and pay at the time for specific activities (HVAC update, small projects) Live-in Super $100-$150, Front Desk $40-$50, Doorman $25-$45, maintenance $30-$50. Pay more for those who I see more and are directly involved in my day-to-day living, and of course those that are good at their jobs (which they get pretty good salaries + benefits totally over $1 million for 12 people in my 200 -unit building). Plus they are union and need to almost kill a resident before they can be fired. Not bad comp considering most do not have a college degree.
2
what about if its a pool for all employees and not individually? about 15 employees...
Every Christmas I hate the envelope under my door with 21 names of people who have no idea who I am. I spend 700-800 a year when I could hardly afford it.
2
Wow. This is out of control! I tip my building's supers, doormen and porters what I can afford. It's that simple.
3
I don't live in an apt but I do generously tip my housekeeper, garbage man and mailman. The hug and "god bless you" that I get from my housekeeper makes my Christmas.
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“You are paying a collective sum for all the times when you might have handed the porter a couple bucks for carrying your bags up to your apartment but didn’t. Now is the time to settle the bill.” So, the converse would be true – if you tip regularly, then no holiday tipping/bonus should be necessary?
2
I tip my petsitters the equivalent of 2 visits and throw in some homemade cookies. This small business has 4 employees and the owner, any of whom might show up 0-10 times a year, everyone gets a bag with cash and cookies whether they've helped me that year or not. It's just easier.
They're appreciative, I appreciate they're always there for me.
Maybe the management companies of these buildings can build in a monthly charge to rent or maintenance fees during the year which can then be distributed as a bonus in December. That way staff can be guaranteed a 'gift' and if you want to tip a little extra to someone who did extra for you during the year, it's an option without going totally broke.
3
In our building, management sends out a flyer with a list of all doormen, porters, valets and how long each one has been in service. They also give suggested amounts based on the sizes of the apartments. Of course, not everyone can afford the suggested amounts, I understand that, but it's a good guideline. Then they take the pooled amounts and distribute it to said staff.
As far as the doormen and valets, I personally tip them at time of service, $5-$10 whenever they help me take something from my car like groceries. We had a renovation done this summer on one of our guest bathrooms, and had some stuff from Home Depot, so for that I tip much more, especially since some of the items weighted more than 100 pounds. I'm glad to have them, and more than willing to give them something for that!
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I don't tip the mailman, he makes more than I do.
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The opening sentence: "We live in an upscale building and always tip the building staff at the end of the year. Our tips total around $2,000, more than what we budget for gifts for our family."
I may have a very proletarian or plebeian view of upscale life, but I fail to see why such a life style must necessarily (?) be accompanied by throwing money around.
Minimize your dependance on paid services and remember that buying nothing is always the cheapest.
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@Tuvw Xyz What exactly is your point? That they should move to a building without staff, or that they should be cheap and not tip the staff?
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When I lived in NYC the rule of thumb for a co-op was to tip 1 month's maintenance, not including the taxes and mortgage component. My total maintenance was $3000 with the actual maintenance component being $1200. So I split the $1200 amongst the staff, by job title and and years of service.
I also tipped as I went for any special electrical or plumbing services performed in the apartment during the year.
2
I clicked on the link Tip-O-Meter and found it very helpful. You follow the prompts and input info and it gives you an approximate range.
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@ Terry Slater Brooklyn
But what or who is this Tip-O-Péter, on which you are relying?
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Oh, the annual apartment tipping headache! No matter how many "guidelines" are printed, each year we read them.....and are still uncertain whether or not we have done "the right thing." I do wish there were a general collection made and split accordingly to all building employees. Throughout the year, there will always be an opportunity to say "thank you" additionally for some other small service rendered, whether in cash, box of cookies, bottle of wine.....or other.
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I just have a super, who i tip when he does something in my apartment ( a lot of the time he is complaining while working which I find annoying). Wonder if I should still tip him.
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@NYC Born Yup, he's expecting something at the holidays.
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$78-$100 per person? My building employs about 20 people, I can’t follow this extravagant standard. Maybe the Times pays its staff enough to do so. My budget is $500 and I allocate it across the staff as best as I can. I do thank each person individually.
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@NYC Church Mouse Uhm, print and radio journalists make very little.
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@NYC Church Mouse
20 in staff is a large building. So you can give less per person. My budget is $1000 across 10 or 11 guys.
1
I never tip mailperson, it's never the same person. My box is two.steps up and I never leave anything to be picked up. They get a good salary.and benefits. Nope for garbage men either.
All year, I tip cleaning service, manicure and hair personnel who perform personal tasks for me. No tippi g for regular coffee service either.
Pay a decent wage and stop having customer pick up the slack. No I'm not tripping you for taking my money at a convenience store register.
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@robin s. nj
I am opposite of you: we tip the mail carrier, whoever this happens to be before Xmas, and the garbage collectors, sometimes one or a team of two.
In other services, I tip 15-20% in restaurants, taxis, and barber.
2
I live in a walk-up and I am very lucky to have a terrific super. My Christmas bonus for him is $100.
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Imagine being a USPS worker and receiving cookie plates from even 20% of the folks on your route. I love cookies, but that would be too much even for me.
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@MB30004 Then come up with something else non-monetary.
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Coming from Australia, I really struggle to understand the need to tip for a service already paid for. I would have thought some of the money collected for monthly fees could be put into a "kitty" for end of year tipping.
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@Jo Perhaps in Australia, as in Europe, people are paid enough for the work they perform. Here in the states, many of those who receive tips make less than the average working person (servers being the worst paid-less than $3 per hour!). People who work in fancy buildings still probably struggle in a place as expensive as NYC. I agree it would be better if everyone were paid a living wage and not expected to live off tips alone. But of course I also think we should be guaranteed affordable healthcare! We are still way behind most industrialized countries!
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By law, USPS carriers cannot be tipped more than $20, and that cannot be in cash. Make them some lovely cookies, or give them a bag of nut wrapped in a pretty gift bag. They can get in trouble for accepting money,
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My father was a letter carrier in the Pelham Bay Area in the 1950s and 60s. I don’t know how much he was tipped, but I do know that the money helped keep us afloat. It was a big deal. More than 20 years after he retired, we met a young woman who recalled him fondly from her childhood. Give cookies if you must but centered around some cash.
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@PrairieFlax I wonder whether that law also applies to those who wrote and voted for that law. Probably not!
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@PrairieFlax And who will get who in trouble? I know the law. Cookies are over rated.
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I sense that there are people out there who are looking for any excuse to NOT tip anyone. They want the "HELP" with no compensation. You know who does what for you...above and beyond. If this is causing you migraine headaches then please, by all means, carry your own bags, hold your own umbrella, pick up your own mail and the PO, and fix your own pipes. Dilemma solved!
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@Dinelj I do tip. But all the things you described is why I pay maintenance. if the building staff wasn't doing any of those things, what would they be doing?
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Triplemint appears to be hiding a secret spreadsheet with the truth!
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@David If you base your estimates on a poll of doormen you get a result tilted towards doormen.
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$100 for my super, $50 for his assistant. And if, during the year, I need their services exclusively for my condo I negotiate the cost of their labor and supplies in advance. The postman gets nothing since our post office no longer uses full time employees and we have a different one every few weeks anyway.
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@PM You cannot tip USPS employees, by law.
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I moved into a BK high rise (first time living in one) last year and drove myself crazy trying to figure out the process and gather enough money to give appropriate tips. This year I was able to save ahead of time so I was a little more prepared. I agree that building staff deserves gratuity, but I get annoyed when I see the resident manager and the front office folks on the list. I've never met them, but they come around for the holidays for a tip. I will be giving the bulk to the amazing doorman/women and porters.
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USPS postal carriers are not, by law, allowed to accept gifts more than $20 in value. You can give them a nice food gift not above that value, but no cash, no gift cards.
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My building has 250 units. If everyone gave $100, that’s $25,000 in untaxed income. Not too bad.
$50 each still leaves them with over 10k in cash each year. I think that’s fair.
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@AW Perhaps they are reporting it. I knew someone who collected cans and bottles to get through grad school, and reported that. How many can collectors do that? But some do. Maybe the building staff does so, too.
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If your that was your only income and you made say 5k a year....then yes, it makes sense to report bc the earned income tax credit will give you additional money. Doubt he actually paid tax after that.
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@AW My father was a building super in Manhattan for over 30 years. Not all apartments will tip $50, and not all apartments will tip. The only constant was that the most annoying tenants tipped the least.
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Why bother printing the question if you're not going to provide any sort of answer or price point guideline? I see this exact question-dodging on every real estate-focused site this time of year, and it's very frustrating for those of us who want to thank building staff, but have no idea where to start.
I live alone, in a studio (the smallest sized apt in my 22 fl building) in a white glove UES building. While the men sign for my packages and do typical maintenance on my apartment when it's mandated for the entire building, I never have them deliver anything to my door, request handyman help or complain about noise, neighbor issues, etc. I love living in my building, and I realized a lot of that is because the 18 person staff works very hard to maintain it. While I'd love to return to tipping everyone $100 or more, my current unemployment status doesn't permit that. Even gifting $500 total will be hard for me this year, and I feel cheap and ungrateful handing out those envelopes. Any sort of "starting guide" to help gauge what is appropriate would be much appreciated now, or in the future.
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@anon This is why pooled tipping is a good idea. For those who are struggling themselves.
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@PrairieFlax agreed, but that is an extremely rare practice. Maybe in small walkups it’s feasible, but when you know ppl in only two of 200+ apartments it’s difficult to get support for any new idea.
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I view the whole tipping game as akin to being held for ransom. One year I moved into a new building in Queens at the end of November. I didn't tip the postman, as he had done nothing for me but come into the building and put mail in my box as was his job to do. I hadn't received a single package or had any special service from him. Immediately all my magazines started showing up late and my mail was often in tatters. I complained to the post office and I was told that I should take extra care of people who take care of me. Piracy!
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@Arthur Weiler By law, USPS carriers cannot be tipped more than $20, and that cannot be in cash. Make them some lovely cookies, or give them a bag of nut wrapped in a pretty gift bag. They can get in trouble for accepting money.
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@Arthur Weiler Via federal law, it's pretty impossible to tip the postal carrier. Bake cookie or place a pound of mixed nuts in a pretty gift bag. This is the link to the regulation: https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2012/pb22349/html/cover_025.htm#:~:targetText=Under%20these%20federal%20regulations%2C%20carriers,be%20accepted%20in%20any%20amount.
In 69 years I never had a postal carrier complain,
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@Arthur Weiler The average salary for a mailman was $51,390 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $46,990 and $55,530 annually, and the lowest 10 percent earned less than $40,470. I agree: piracy for waged employees to expect - or accept - tips for----- doing their job!
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How about paying them a decent wage.... INSTEAD?
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@rob blake I believe most large buildings in Manhattan are required to hire union workers, or at least mine is anyway. A few years back there was talk of a possible strike when salary and benefit negotiations were on the table, and my building's employee salaries (not including overtime) were made public to the co-op. While figures were by no means exorbitant, they all make a living wage.
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@rob blake The wage and benefit package for doormen comes to about $80,000/year.
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@Paul’52 More than I made as a teacher, with a Master's degree and after 17 years of service.
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This all depends on where you live. I do give the office and maintenance people a gift certificate for the sandwich place across the road. (I'm buying them lunch.) I get pretty good service here, partly because I know tipping them is rarely done here. On the other hand cost of living here in Omaha is a tiny fraction of what it is in NYC.
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@Mary Also, our residential circumstances here in Nebraska tend away from the co-ops of NYC. Other than restaurants, we don't have this tipping culture.
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Grazzee.com = easiest way to tip a building staff.
@Brett agreed....thankfully my building is signed up....:)
When deceiding on how much to tip I take into account what is their base salary, what are their benefits - apartment, parking, health insurance. Do they make overtime, what does the HOA or building give them at the holidays. Then I look at how valuable they are to me, are they nice ans considerate, helpful? And then I figure out an amount. If I really like you and you have been especially helpful, you will get cash so you do not have to declare it. Others will get a check, and for others I will send their holiday bonus check to the managmewnt company. And then they will get a check from the managment company with taxes deducted.
@Gordon why in the world would you give their holidaycheck to management? this is gift-giving time. why not give it directly to the person? You sound elitist to me...and a skinflint who does not want any one of them to even think for one holiday season, that they should get any more than what YOU think they should get. shame on you.
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A most timely subject and very useful comments. I take a guidline sum of $50 each for the post deliverer and garbage collectors.
Is this enough?
1
I live in a doorman bldg. with 22 people working here. I tip the doormen and that's it. They are all nice people. Speaking with neighbors they all feel the same way.
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@Julia I live in a building with almost as many in Hoboken. Just realize that the porters are scraping by in your building and that the people who take out your trash and vacuum your hallways do not make a lot of money and rely on the generosity of residents to help them make ends meet at years end. Even 25 dollars to each of those people multiplied by all the residents in your building would make a significant impact in the quality of their lives.
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@Julia
We have 10 in staff and 185 units. I live alone so they are serving just me not a family. I tip doormen same as porters, but super and handyman more (he does stuff and won't take my tips during the year)
One guy opens the door and says hi... the other guy handles my trash and vacuums my hall.. they all provide me a service.
It’s an interesting experience living in NYC since graduating from college. Rents are high and salaries don’t always allow for much discretionary income even when sharing an apartment with others
I believe the people who provide service in a building should be given a holiday gift as a sign of appreciation and I’m also sure they could use the money
Anyone who performs a service I tip a few dollars at the time the service is performed.
One full service building I lived in
had a lot of people I never interacted with directly who made the building function in addition to a doorman, and concierge. At the end of November you received a list of all the people and was offered the option to contribute to a general tipping fund that would be divided amongst many people and your name and apartment number would be added to a card. I would then individually tip a little more to the people with whom I had more contact. I preferred this arrangement to the one in my present building that sends out a list of around 50 people to tip individually. I never know how much is appropriate to tip the people I never see nor know exactly what they do. Even giving each one a modest $25 tip adds up to $1250 above what I budget for family and friends
9
Every holiday season, I give the individuals in my building who continue to make my life easier throughout the year a plate of homemade treats and a beautiful Christmas card with a hand written note and some cash. I never think of this as "tipping the staff" but rather saying a sincere thank you to a valuable friend and letting them know that they are not forgotten or overlooked at this time of the year.
I think what is key is that people are remembered at Christmas or the holidays and know that someone took the time to say thank you, regardless of the monetary amount given.
Someone of my most treasured items are a card or a note or a Christmas canister in which someone I knew took the time to bake me my favorite butter cookies.
Remembering people rather than taking folks for granted or worse, acting like they do not exist, is what matters most in my heart.
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@Marge Keller Wait, wait. Are the homemade goodies in addition to a holiday tip? Or instead of?
1
@Estrellita
In addition to my thank you card, note and cash.
The folks in my building are awesome. They truly make my life so much simpler.
Besides, I love baking for an appreciative audience.
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@Marge Keller I like your idea. Please share it with Gordon.
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tip generously - its an opportunity to do something nice for someone that really needs it
21
Precisely this. Generosity is a gift to yourself as well. Do something nice for the people who take care of your home. You’ll reap the rewards all year long.
4
Granted I don't live in NYC but I once saw a documentary about the ultra rich who live there and one doorman complained about receiving a $50 check from one of them. As to the comments about tipping being demeaning, I was living in Turkey at the time and that was where I learned how to tip graciously: look the person in the eye and tell them, with a smile, that you appreciate how well they've taken care of you.
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As a teacher I always gave better instruction to the kids of parents who tipped me. (Not). I don't get the tipping of salaried employees for - doing their job...
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@Roger its called going above and beyond. Some of these people get beside themselves because they have a "doorman" in their building and want him to be their personal butler, dogwalker, package handler and umbrella holder. Puuuleeeeeze! get over yourselves and do the right thing!
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But it isn’t about going above and beyond. Every employee of the building expects a tip, regardless of their interactions with the tenants. It’s a terrible system.
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@Dinelj ...and there were parents who expected me to email them daily with the progress of their student; to let them know if their child was using the cell-phone -which the parent gave them! - in my class; to let their child retake the test because they got a bad score because they weren't "prepared to take such a hard test"; to give the next week's assignments in advance because they were going on a ski-trip before the rush at X-mas break; - I suppose they should be tipping me, too.
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@Robert
Just a point: A super who gets an apartment as part of his compensation DOES have to pay income tax on the fair value of the yearly use of the apt. It's just like any other employee who receives a benefit as part of his job (airline reduced fees...etc.)
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@ALLEN ROTH Incorrect. Under the "Convenience of the employer" rule, it should be tax free, since the Super must be available after regular hours to respond to emergencies.
"airline reduced fees...etc" Off topic, but I am curious in what situation you think "reduced airline fees" are taxable to an employee.
3
@Robert Airline employees who fly on a reduced rate are required to report the difference between their price and the regular retail airline fare as income.
And a super does indeed have to pay tax on the value of the apartment given to him. The "Convenience of the employer" rule is not applicable here.
1
@ALLEN ROTH My understanding is that the building I live in and most buildings do not treat the apartments in which the supers reside as taxable income, pursuant to the convenience of the employer rule.
Just seeing the question in this headline gave me heartburn. I’ve struggled with the tipping issue every year since switching careers, a move that left me with a fraction of my income (but my sanity and health intact).
It doesn’t help that I live in condo with a staff of nearly 30! Doormen, porters, handymen, the super, the deputy super (!)... Even if I gave everyone the average minimum noted in the article and by commenters (+/- $75), that’s $2,000! Thank god the building management offers a pooled fund into which residents can give a flat amount to be distributed evenly. Still, I can’t help but feel like I’m shortchanging everyone. Argh.
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Having spent more than 26 years in the industry, there is No Slide Scale. People should do what they feel is right and what they can afford. Most Residents will say the staff is an extended part of our family, Yet this Question comes up every year, I can tell you the staff appriciate Whatever the Residents give. Many years go there was an elderly woman in the building I was employed in at the time, a retired school teacher. She gave all the staff an envelope. she gave me $7. I cherished that more than the resident that gave me $50.
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@frank monaco , I've never lived in an NYC or DC apt. where the staff thought of me, single , civil servant, female, as family, extended or not.
1
Think of it this way, to many residents in luxury buildings, the difference between an adequate/average tip and a generous tip is an amount of money that is immaterial to them but quite appreciated by the recipient. I tip those employees the most who do the most to assist me. Tip others a fixed amount with $50/100 being the minimum. The year I purchased my unit and used a lot of services getting settled and making repairs, I was sure to tip those helpful employees generously and personally while still contributing to the overall holiday tip fund. When one of the employees who has gone above and beyond is going on vacation, I usually give them a card wishing them a happy vacation along with $150 in cash saying I would like to treat them to dinner on their vacation.
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@Rosemary How thoughtful. I'm sure you're treated with the same care and respect.
10
That is really so thoughtful and wonderful of you!
3
Uh, how about zero? Given the exorbitant monthly fees of so many apts/condos/hoa's you're already employing them. That's enough. You should never be tipping ANYONE except restaurant staff.
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@Coots You don't tip a driver or delivery person?
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@Coots
By that standard, you really shouldn't be tipping restaurant staff, either. If you had a point to make, it's lost in that irrational inconstancy.
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@Coots Wow! Do you know their salaries? Do you think they are overpaid? Do you ask for extras from them? A little generosity goes a long way. And if your monthly fees are exorbitant bet you can afford it. Don't scrounge it - opening up your wallet can also open up your heart and theirs.
12
Tipping is demeaning on any level. It recognizes a workers plight and offers a pittance to make you feel better. There has to be a better way.
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@John - Except the holiday tip doesn't really make the residents feel better. It just causes angst.
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@John
John you don't understand tipping whether for a door person or restaurant server. Think of it as commision. The better the service the better the compensation.
Belive me workers are thrilled to get tips. And a super or doorman in a "good" building can get easily get $10 - $20K in additon to working for decent pay with benefits.
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@John
End-of-year bonuses are standard. You probably get one.
9
Having lived in Manhattan buildings for many years, I can say Holiday tips are definitely part art part science. I tend to give a wide range. The largest to door people who are on staff during the busiest time, less for porters that are not around very often. Usually from $60 on the low end, up to $200 on the high end.
One point I disagree with in these articles on tipping is they always recommend more for the supers. But they are already getting hefty salaries and bonuses in many cases. With the free apartment (and not subject to income tax), some are definitely earning more than $200k per year. Not saying they don’t deserve it, only that a large tip from each resident on top seems excessive.
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@Robert Agree with you 100% about not tipping supers more, my doormen were usually much more active in making my day to day live more pleasant. That being said, I found in one building that the super clearly stepped up his game around the holidays to show he was worth a bigger holiday tip. He also made it clear that the bigger tippers got more of his attention the rest of the year. Sigh.
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@Robert Just a point: A super who gets an apartment as part of his compensation DOES have to pay income tax on the fair value of the yearly use of the apt. It's just like any other employee who receives a benefit as part of his job (airline reduced fees...etc.)
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@ALLEN ROTH
The apartment for the super isn't taxable, since it certainly falls under the convenience of the employer exception, as it meets all three tests.
The apartment is on the business premises of the employer (it's in the building), it's furnished for the convenience of the employer (to have the super available at any time), and the employee is required to accept the apartment as a condition of employment (which he or she is).
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/26/1.119-1
If you have some caselaw to support your view, please show it.
4
Co-ops sometimes give holiday bonuses on behalf of all residents. Other times, a door to door collection is made and the amount divided among the staff. Alternatively, tenants give what they wish directly.
3
@David What you describe is very rare in Manhattan. If you own a large apartment - and in New York, that might mean a million dollar pad - and access the services of building staff, a more generous scale of tipping would be expected. Building staff usually receives a bonus from the building corporation, in addition to and independent of what apartment owners will tip individually to each staff member, as a note of appreciation. The holiday tip is a gift - it is not designed to support the employee and his family! - and the amount may vary from year to year depending on the use and dependence of the assistance of building staff. It is a thank you, and you can give accordingly.
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@MoreBlack I don't think the situation that David from Flushing describes is rare in Manhattan. Less prevalent than in Flushing but not rare.
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@David
So If apt 5A puts 500 into the pot and Apt 5B puts zero in how does that work, exactly? Who makes the collection? And how do you know what they did with it? Honor system?
5