Should You Tip Movers?

Working with a moving company is one of the best ways to make your move as stress-free as possible. Movers can handle everything from packing to transporting your belongings across the country. Hiring the pros to facilitate your relocation can make all the difference in your move. Depending on what particular services you need, it’s not cheap, but it’s always worth it. But what about after you’ve paid the bill? “Should you tip movers?”

Should you tip movers?

In a word: yes. Moving is hard work, even if you do it every day. Movers appreciate tips especially when clients are happy with the process.

Tips aren’t expected. Movers are not going to wait around for the extra cash. But, if you don’t tip, there may be an assumption that you weren’t satisfied. So if everything went to plan and you had a good experience, go ahead and tip—your movers will always welcome it.

How much should you tip movers?

Don’t worry, you don’t have to tip 15-20% of your bill like you might for other service providers. For a simple move where you have everything packed and ready to go and the movers just load, transport, and unload your things within a close distance, $20 per mover is more than sufficient. For a more intensive move (such as if you worked with full service movers or if your move was long distance) you can tip a little more—think $30-$50 per mover, depending on your budget and satisfaction with the job.

Factors to consider when deciding how much to tip

Ultimately, the amount you tip is up to you. So for example, while $20 per mover is standard for a short distance move, you can choose to tip more if the service exceeded your expectations. Likewise, you may want to tip a little less if you’re not satisfied (instead of foregoing a tip entirely). Here are some things that should factor into how much you decide to tip:

How complicated your move was. Some moves are inherently more difficult than others. If your movers had to go up and down four flights of stairs with your furniture, or if you weren’t quite packed in time and the movers went the extra mile to get your things into boxes before putting them on the truck, a good way to acknowledge it is by adding a bit extra on to your tip.

The conditions your move took place in. Moving is hard enough without it being 95 degrees outside with 100% humidity or freezing and icy. If your movers did their best even in inclement weather, it’s nice to acknowledge it.

The quality of the service provided. If you thought the service was exceptional, you may want to provide a larger tip. Of course, the threshold for what constitutes exceptional service is entirely subjective, but if it was exceptional to you, increase your tip amount, even if it’s just by a couple of dollars a person.

When is it okay not to tip?

There are some scenarios where a tip is not warranted. If you aren’t happy with the service provided, then don’t give a tip just because you think it’s expected of you.

If your movers did the following, you might consider skipping the tip:

– Showed up outside the scheduled time window without explanation or apology
– Were rude or otherwise disrespectful
– Your belongings were damaged due to a lack of care or attention

If you’re working with a reputable moving company then chances are you’re not going to have to worry about any of the above scenarios. Find a trustworthy, high-ranked moving company by browsing the American Storage and Moving Association’s ProMover List, or by using our moving company directory.

How should you tip?

There are no tried and true rules when it comes to how to tip movers. However, most people tend to tip movers after the move is complete and the bill is settled, and to tip each mover individually. You can hand all of the tips to the foreman to divide amongst the movers if you trust him to hand it off, but there’s always a risk that the money won’t make it to everybody. If you want to be sure everyone gets their due, hand out tips to each mover on your own.

Other ways to show your appreciation

Tipping is a great way to show that you value your mover’s work, but there are other things you can do to convey your appreciation if you want to go above and beyond. Again, none of these are expected, but it can never hurt to do a little extra. Some ideas include:

– Providing a cooler with cold water and snacks.
– Providing lunch, breakfast, or dinner, depending on the time of day they’re working.
– Simply saying a genuine “thank you.”
– Leave a good review for the moving company online.

Keep in mind that these aren’t necessarily alternatives to tipping movers—just additional ways you can show gratitude for a job well done.

Being a mover is a tough job that doesn’t always pay super well. Showing that you appreciate the hard work is good form as a customer, and will never go unnoticed or unappreciated. So the next time you work with a professional moving company, set some cash aside for tipping the movers after the job is complete. Make sure to find out ahead of time how many workers will be showing up so you know how much you need. And remember: working with movers isn’t cheap, but the savings in time and stress more than make up for it.