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How Much Should You Tip Movers?
By Cassidy Horton MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
There are a lot of things to think about when it comes to tipping. How much should you tip your waiter or waitress? Your barista? Your hairstylist? But what about when you hire one of the best moving companies to help you relocate to your new home? How much should you tip the movers?
In this article, we’ll go over how much to tip movers, when you should do it, and when it’s okay to say, “No thanks, but I won’t be tipping at all.”
Table of Contents
- Is it necessary to tip movers?
- How much to tip movers?
- What things to consider before tipping your movers?
- When is it justified not to tip movers?
- What is the ideal time to tip movers?
- Tip movers FAQs
- Summary of our guide to how much you should tip movers
Is it necessary to tip movers?
Tipping movers is never required, but it is customary for homeowners—and often appreciated. Moving is a tough job that requires a lot of manual labor and Tetris-ing to get everything to fit into the moving truck just right. A little extra money in the form of a tip is a nice way to thank your movers for their hard work and service.
That said, you shouldn’t feel obligated to tip if you’re not happy with the service you received. If your movers were slow, damaged something, or otherwise made the moving process more difficult than it needed to be, then you don’t need to tip.
How much to tip movers?
There are two primary ways to calculate how much you should tip movers: you can base a tip on a flat rate per hour or on a percentage of your total move cost. Of course, these are just guidelines. You ultimately decide how much (or little) to tip based on your own budget and level of satisfaction with the service.
Here’s a closer look at how these methods work:
Method 1: Tip a flat amount per hour
One easy rule of thumb is to tip each mover at least $5 per person per hour. This method works best for local and same-day moves.
For example, say you hire one of the best moving companies in Florida for a local move. If you have two crew members and it takes them four hours to complete the job, you’d tip $40 total or $20 for each mover. If you have four movers for eight hours, you’d tip $160 total or $40 for each mover.
The formula for calculating per-hour tips looks like this:
Total # of movers x total hours x $5 = total tip
Total tip / total movers = tip per person
Method 2: Tip a percentage of your total cost
The second method is to tip 10% to 20% of your total move. After all, professional movers work in the service industry, so you could treat it just as you would a restaurant bill. This method works especially well if you hire long-distance movers or cross-country movers.
For example, say you grab some free quotes and find out that it’ll cost $3,000 to hire one of the best long-distance moving companies. You could use a sliding scale method to calculate your tip, like this:
- Good service: 10% or $300
- Great service: 15% or $450
- Exceptional service: 20% or $600
You could then split this total amount among each person.
The formula looks like this:
Total bill x tip % = Total tip
Total tip / total number of movers = Tip per person
Things to consider before tipping your movers
There are a lot of factors that play into how much you should tip your movers. Here are a few key considerations:
Hours of service
Say you hire a professional crew for a half-day move. You’d obviously give them a smaller tip than if they worked a full day. But it’s also a good idea to consider the number of movers in relation to the hours worked. If four movers show up and get the job done in four hours, that’s impressive. But if two movers do the same job in the same amount of time, they might deserve a larger per-person tip.
Number of movers
If you’re using the per-person-per-hour tipping method, more movers will always equate to a higher tip amount overall. So budget for this when estimating your tip amount. However, if you’re calculating your tip based on a percentage of your total bill, the amount should stay the same regardless of the number of movers.
Oversized items moved
If your movers helped you pack and unpack or had to move fragile or oversized items, such as a piano or a hot tub, you might want to give them a larger tip. These items are heavy and difficult to move, so your movers deserve extra credit (and cash) for a job well done.
The same goes for difficult-to-reach items. If your movers had to climb a ladder, maneuver around tight corners, or move heavy furniture down a flight of stairs, that might be worth some extra money.
Quality of the service
You should also consider the quality of service when deciding how much to tip a professional moving company. Did your movers go above and beyond what was expected? Did they show up on time? If they were professional, careful, and efficient, they deserve a good tip. But if they were careless, slow, or damaged any of your belongings, you might want to give them a smaller tip—or no tip at all.
When is it justified not to tip movers?
When can you get away with not tipping at all? Here are a few circumstances when it might be acceptable to not tip:
You’re not satisfied with the service
If you’re not happy with your movers’ performance, you have every right to withhold a tip. Maybe they damaged your furniture, were slow, or were unprofessional. If that’s the case, don’t feel bad about not giving them a gratuity.
Of course, you should always communicate your concerns with the moving company first. If they’re not able to resolve the issue to your satisfaction, then you can decide whether or not to tip.
Breaches of contract
A breach of contract is a big no-no. And in the moving industry, it’s grounds for not tipping at all. For instance, maybe your movers broke their promise of a flat rate, tried to scam you, delivered your items past the guaranteed delivery date, or were just downright negligent with your belongings. In any of these cases, you have every right to not tip your movers.
Movers show up late
If your movers show up late, that’s a major inconvenience. You might have to reschedule your whole moving day, which can throw a wrench in your plans. For that reason, you might decide not to tip your movers.
But if your mover is running just a little behind due to traffic or some reason that’s not their fault, it may be in poor taste not to tip at all. In this case, a reduced tip may be more appropriate.
Movers have a bad attitude
If your movers are rude, unprofessional, or just plain unpleasant to be around, then you’re not obligated to tip them. Of course, everyone has bad days now and then. Even if you hire one of the best moving companies in Los Angeles, you may catch someone on a rough day. Keep this in mind if you decide not to tip. We’re all human, after all.
What is the ideal time to tip movers?
The best time to tip your professional movers is after they’ve completed the job and everything has been unpacked and delivered successfully. This allows you to properly assess their work and decide if they deserve a tip or not. If anything goes wrong during the move, you can always hold off on tipping until everything has been rectified.
There’s no harm in being generous, but make sure that you’re happy with the service before handing over any money.
That said, if you have different crews helping you during your move, you’ll want to tip as soon as one crew completes its job. So if your total tip amount was $600, for example, and you have two moving crews, you’d give $300 to the first crew when they finished working and $300 to the second crew.)
Tip movers FAQs
What is a normal tip for movers in 2022?
There is no one answer to this question, since it can vary based on a number of factors, such as the length of the move, the number of movers, the mover services you request, the difficulty of the move, overall job performance, etc. However, the general rule of thumb is:
- At least $5 per person per hour or
- 10% to 20% of your overall moving bill
You can hand the full lump sum to the lead crew member to distribute, or you can break it up yourself. Either way, a tip is a great way to show appreciation for a job well done.
Do you tip movers when they load or unload?
It depends. If you have local movers or know you'll have the same moving crew the entire time, you can wait until the end of the move to tip them. But if you're hiring a cross-country or interstate moving company and your stuff will be changing hands before your final destination, it's customary to tip both groups of people: the ones who helped you load and the ones who helped you unload.
Should you tip movers?
It's not mandatory, but it is appreciated. Tipping your movers is a way to show your appreciation for their hard work. And while you're not obligated to give them anything, even a small tip can go a long way.
But what if you can't tip movers? If for some reason your moving expenses are too high and tipping just isn't possible, you can also show your appreciation by:
- Leaving a kind review online
- Offering drinks and snacks during your move
- Providing lunch if they're open to it (some crew members prefer to pack their own food)
Do moving tips have to be in cash?
Cash tips are typically customary, but you may be able to charge it to a credit card depending on which moving service you hire. If you're concerned you won't have cash, call up the moving company and ask what alternative methods you can use.
Summary of our guide to how much you should tip movers
At the end of the day, the decision on whether to tip your moving team is up to you. However, if you do choose to tip them, we suggest using one of the two methods mentioned above to calculate an appropriate amount based on the duration and difficulty of your move as well as the number of people who assisted with it. And remember, even if everything goes perfectly, it’s always okay to adjust the amount up or down based on your own satisfaction with the level of service.
Planning a big move? Consider hiring one of the best moving companies in the U.S. to do the heavy lifting for you. That way you can have your easiest (and best) move yet.
Cassidy Horton is a finance writer based in Seattle, Washington. With an MBA and a bachelor's in public relations, her work has been published over a thousand times by The Balance, Finder.com, Money Under 30, Clever Girl Finance, and many more. Cassidy is a self-confessed money nerd who’s passionate about helping people find financial freedom. Oh, and she really loves cats.