People you are not obligated to tip during the holidays

Some people think during the holidays they should Tip everyone who has provided services for them during the year. It has been estimated that one out of every four people spends more than $250 on holiday tips. Many tippers say they give each person from $20 to $60 in cash. Some of those people should not be tipped at all.

In this article, the focus is on whether to tip money or not to tip money. In some of the cases, a greeting card, a small Gift, or a gift card might be appropriate if you are led to give those. In most cases, no one is obligated to give anything.

Who not to tip?

It is not appropriate to tip your healthcare workers, even if you have had a lot of doctor appointments during the year. There is nothing wrong with giving your favorite doctor or nurse a greeting card, a small gift, or a gift card, but it is not appropriate to give them cash. Constance Hoffman of Business Graces and Pamela Eyring of Protocol School of Washington agree on this, and they both say the same goes for your therapist and psychiatrist.

Tipping your children's teachers is never appropriate, according to etiquette expert April Masini. It's fine to give them a gift card or a little gift, but don't ever give them money, because it could send the wrong message or that you are buying favors for your child.

A delivery person from a restaurant should not be tipped any extra during the holiday because more than likely you tipped him every time he made a delivery to your house during the year, says Hoffman. Eyring says the same thing about hotel workers that Hoffman said about delivery persons. She said if you tip them throughout the year you don’t need to also do it during the Holidays.

Your dry cleaner doesn't need a holiday tip. If you have a relationship and want to do something special, a small gift such as a candle or a gift card would not be out of order. Hoffman, Eyring, and Masini agree that persons you should not tip include your accountant, lawyer, salespersons, and cashiers.

Rule for holiday tipping

Perhaps a good rule to follow is that if you have been tipping someone all year, you don't need to give them extra money during the holidays. Etiquette experts suggest it would be appropriate to give a small gift to make it a little more special from the regular tips you have been giving all year long. These people would include your barbers, hairdressers, spa personnel, and nail technicians.

You might have a very loyal mail carrier, but it is against postal regulations to tip him or her with a gift valued at more than $20. Like with other people who have provided a service to you during the year, you are not obligated to give a letter carrier anything at all if there is no relationship.