Tipping Your Movers

Tipping Your Movers

- Gratuity - “A gift of money, over and above payment due for service”
“Something given without claim or demand”

In North America the practice of tipping for any service is standard and commonly accepted. As with the restaurant business, tipping within the moving industry is appreciated. However, you are not obligated to tip your movers. If you are pleased with the service you received, tipping is a way to show appreciation.

When determining whether to tip your movers, keep in mind some of the factors below.

• Were the movers on time?
• Was the crew friendly and helpful?
• Did they work hard from beginning to end?
• Were your belongings handled with care and consideration?
• Were precautions taken to avoid property damage?

Any reputable moving company will strive to provide excellent service without damages, yet, occasionally it does happen. What distinguishes a professional moving company from any other is how these situations are handled.

If you have had a bad experience, or in any way felt uncomfortable or taken advantage of, for example: the movers are taking to many breaks, slacking and being careless, or extending the time to finish, remember, you are not obliged to tip. Tipping is a gift and should be rewarded to those who provide good service. If the service was above your expectations, tip appropriately.

Bear in mind, the tip you give, is for the people performing the move, the crew that does all the work: heavy lifting, packing, wrapping, etc. If they are professional, but you had an unfavorable experience with the actual moving company, be sure to tip the movers directly.

How Much To Tip?

Local moves - If you’re moving locally, tipping between $4-$5 per hour, per mover is standard. If the movers were exceptional and you would like to tip extra, an appropriate amount would be $6-$7 per hour, per mover. When deciding the amount to tip, take into consideration the service and quality of the move.

Long distance moves - Tipping for Long Distance Moving is different from Local and Intrastate Moving. Firstly, you will need to tip twice, the team who loaded your items and the delivery team. There are two formulas for tipping long distance moves:

• Percentage – 5-10% of the total move cost. This will be divided between the two moving crews.
• Set amount – Anywhere between $20-$50 per mover, per day.

To give a tip on the higher end of the spectrum would mean that the movers have provided above and beyond excellent service.

You can give the total tip amount to the foreman, who is in charge of the moving team. In some cases, he is also the truck driver. He will then spilt the tip between each of the crew. Or, you can tip each mover individually. In this case, you can also give amounts based on individual performance.

Prior to tipping, check your bill to make sure you are not being charged an added service, which would cover gratuity. This is very rare, however, you may want to double check with your moving company.