{"id":3749,"date":"2025-12-07T08:38:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T08:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/2025\/12\/07\/survey-fewer-americans-are-planning-to-tip-this-holiday-season-bankrate\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T08:38:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T08:38:50","slug":"survey-fewer-americans-are-planning-to-tip-this-holiday-season-bankrate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/2025\/12\/07\/survey-fewer-americans-are-planning-to-tip-this-holiday-season-bankrate\/","title":{"rendered":"Survey: Fewer Americans Are Planning To Tip This Holiday Season | Bankrate"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you\u2019re rethinking whether to spread the holiday cheer by tipping this year, you might not be alone. Fewer Americans are planning to tip their service providers this holiday season compared to last year \u2014 from their housekeepers, trash collectors and gardeners to mail carriers, teachers and childcare providers.<\/p>\n

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If you can’t afford to tip everyone this holiday season, prioritize who really went above and beyond for you in 2025. For instance, maybe you have a really great babysitter or housekeeper or landscaping crew that you want to reward.<\/q> \u2014 Ted Rossman, Bankrate senior industry analyst <\/cite> <\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n

More than half of U.S. adults (56%) say they usually give bigger tips when they receive better service, according to Bankrate\u2019s 2025 Holiday Tipping Survey. Still, about 2 in 5 (38%) say that they simply feel obligated to tip \u2014 regardless of the service received.<\/p>\n

Tipping is slightly down from last year<\/h2>\n

For many, the holiday season is the time to show appreciation, including giving tips or gifts to workers that care for their children or homes. Here\u2019s how many Americans who use each service are planning to tip service providers in the following categories this year:<\/p>\n

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  • Housekeeper: 56%<\/li>\n
  • Childcare provider: 47%<\/li>\n
  • Teacher: 47%<\/li>\n
  • Landscaper\/gardener\/snow remover: 37%<\/li>\n
  • Mail carrier: 27%<\/li>\n
  • Trash\/recycling collector: 21%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    These figures are slightly down compared to last year. The percentage of people planning to tip their childcare providers has seen the most significant drop (from 55% to 47%) followed by teachers (53% to 47%).<\/p>\n

    \u201cMost people do care about these important community members but they are also feeling their own financial stress, anxiety and budget shortfalls,\u201d says Bobbi Rebell, a certified financial planner and consumer finance expert at Badcredit.org. \u201cThat can overshadow generosity, which can be considered optional. Unfortunately, a good part of the holidays has become about making tough choices in order to avoid creating spending hangovers.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The tipping amounts from 2024 to 2025 are mostly flat or slightly down. But the category of landscapers, gardeners and snow removers as well as that of trash\/recycling collectors are exceptions. Among people planning to tip providers in the landscaping category, the median tip jumped from $30 in 2024 to $50 in 2025, a 67% increase. While smaller, the median tip amount rose from $20 in 2024 to $25 in 2025, a 25% increase, in the trash\/recycling collectors category.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

    \u201cAmong holiday tippers, amounts are holding pretty steady this year. It seems that if you\u2019re still giving a holiday tip, you\u2019re probably giving roughly what you gave last year,\u201d Rossman says. \u201cBut there are noticeable drops in the frequency of holiday tipping. For example, significantly fewer Americans are planning to tip childcare providers and teachers in 2025 versus 2024. A sizable share of Americans are cutting back by giving nothing at all this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Better service is the main tipping driver<\/h2>\n

    When it comes to the sentiment around tipping, most Americans (56%) say they typically leave better tips when they receive better service. Still, for many people it\u2019s not the quality of service that determines whether they will tip. Thirty-eight percent of survey respondents say they often feel obligated to leave a tip regardless of the service they receive. At the same time, only 16% expect the person they\u2019re tipping to notice how much they have given them.<\/p>\n

    One thing most people agree on is that the ability to leave a tip isn\u2019t an indication of status or affluence. Just 7% of respondents say that tipping is a sign that someone is financially successful.<\/p>\n

    Young people are more likely to tip out of obligation<\/h3>\n

    For some people, tipping is more a product of social expectations than a way to reward good service. Such sentiment is especially common among younger people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    The survey found that 44% of Gen Zers (ages 18-28) and 42% of millennials (ages 29-44) say they often feel obligated to tip compared to 38% of Gen Xers (ages 45-60) and 29% of baby boomers (ages 61-79).\u00a0<\/p>\n

    \u201cYounger consumers have grown up in a culture where tipping prompts are in more places than ever,\u201d Rebell says. \u201cThat said, feeling obligated is not the same as having the means to be as generous as you want to be or as generous as you feel pressure to be. The social pressure is real.\u201d<\/p>\n

    How to budget for tips this holiday season<\/h2>\n

    If you\u2019re worried about showing appreciation to the workers in your community this holiday season, there are steps you can take to ensure you do it without putting yourself under financial strain:<\/p>\n