Every year, the same handful of articles circulate with suggested holiday tip amounts for your mail carrier, doorman, and house cleaner — but they're static tables you have to add up yourself, and almost none of them mention that some of those people legally can't accept the cash you're about to hand them. Our free holiday tipping calculator tracks both the suggested ranges and your running total against your own budget.
Can I tip my mail carrier cash? No — here's why
USPS ethics rules flatly prohibit carriers from accepting cash, checks, or gift cards issued by banks or credit card companies. What is allowed: a noncash gift under $20 per occasion — like a gift card to a specific retailer or coffee shop — up to a total of $50 per year from any one household. Hand a carrier a $20 bill and you're putting them in the position of having to decline it or report it.
Holiday tipping guide doorman: how much is typical
Consumer Reports' giving guide suggests $25-100 for a doorman or building superintendent, scaled to how much they've done for you over the year. Other regular service providers have their own typical ranges: a trash or recycling collector around $50-100, a landscaper $20-100, and a house cleaner about one week's pay.
How much to tip mail carrier for Christmas — and your FedEx or UPS driver
Since cash is off the table for a mail carrier, "how much" really means "how much of a gift." Under $20 keeps you inside USPS rules. Package delivery drivers have different limits depending on carrier: FedEx policy allows drivers to accept noncash gifts up to $75, while UPS drivers are generally encouraged to decline cash gratuities (though a small gift is normally fine).
Why we built a calculator instead of another list
Every tipping guide we checked while researching this — including well-regarded ones — is a static article. None let you enter your own list of people, see a running total, or check that total against a budget before you're already at the mailbox. Enter what you plan to give each person and the calculator adds it up and flags it if you're closing in on or exceeding what you set aside.
Try the Holiday Tipping Calculator → · Splitting a holiday dinner bill instead? See the Tip Calculator.
Sources: Consumer Reports, "Tips on Tipping This Holiday Season" (giving guide); USPS official ethics guidance (about.usps.com); FedEx and UPS driver gift policy, cross-checked across multiple outlets (2026-09). None of these amounts are obligations — they're a starting point, not a requirement.
