Moving is an exhausting and stressful task that is often not completed until a lot of difficulties are dealt with, not to mention the time involved. However, if you hire a moving company, the process is considerably simplified and gets done within a much shorter time period. Since moving companies work so hard to ease things for you, you should award them with a tip. They do not really expect a tip, but who does not like a token of appreciation for the efforts the put in for you?
So how do you tip movers? There are many ways with which you can estimate an amount depending on whether you are moving close by or somewhere far away.
If Your Move is Local and Short Distance
If your move is local, it will be easier for you to tip the staff. Since not many people are required for the job and the fees are less, the tips also need not be that high. Generally, the team from the moving company will consist of three movers and a driver. They will pack your stuff, load it and then unload it when you go to your new place. In this case, you can give the moving team a tip of around 15% to 20% of the total moving costs.
Generally, this amount is $20 to $30 per person. You can either split the amount equally among them or ask them to do this by themselves. As for the driver, you can give him a tip that is less than this amount, but this will only be so if he did not help with the packing.
Please note that equal tips are not mandatory. If there is one mover who served you better than the others, you can provide him a bigger tip.
If Your Move is Long Distance
A long distance move involves more people and more effort, so your tips must also be bigger. Usually such a move is conducted by two different teams, particularly if you are moving to another state. If this is so, you will have to pay tips to one team after they have loaded all your items. As for the other team, you can pay them once they have unloaded your belongings at your new residence.
Consider the distance of your move and the number of items you are planning to take with you. Since the fees are also more than the rates of moving locally, and you may have to pay additional surcharges, you need not calculate your tip amounts as a percentage of the total moving costs. Moreover, if the move is conducted by one team, you should pay them more because of their increased efforts.
If your team comprises of around 5 members, you can pay them around $200 to $250. This is around $40 to $50 per person. If it is just one team who does the task, you can reduce this amount to around $30 or $35.