Americans Plan to Give Fewer Holiday Tips This Year—But Not for These Two Jobs

Do you plan to tip anyone this holiday season? Many Americans may skip the ritual this year.

Fewer people expect to tip their childcare providers, mail carriers, teachers and trash collectors, according to a new report, though for those who do, the median holiday tip is expected to remain mostly unchanged from a year ago. There’s a silver lining for some types of workers, however, who may get bigger gratuities in 2025. 

The high-level trend reverses last year’s findings from Bankrate, which showed more Americans—especially GenZers and Millennials, who are comparatively unenthusiastic tippers—were keen to offer holiday tips.

“The pressure on consumers’ wallets from tariffs, inflation and other things can overshadow their generosity,” Bankrate credit cards expert Ana Staples told Investopedia. “While there is this social pressure to tip, people are also very aware of the limitations on their budgets this season.”

Surveys and other sources have indicated a growing frustration with tipping culture in the U.S., with many Americans feeling like they’re being asked to tip more, and more frequently, than they’d like. That’s particularly pronounced among younger Americans, Bankrate found earlier this year. 

This year’s holiday tipping report, which analyzed tipping sentiment regarding six kinds of workers, found it had dipped across all categories versus a year ago, and was down the most for childcare providers. According to the report, 47% of those who use childcare providers said they planned to tip them, down from 55% a year earlier. 

Among other roles: 

• 56% of people who use housekeepers said they would tip them, down from 57% in 2024;
• 47% said they would tip teachers, down from 53%;
• 27% said they would tip mail carriers, down from 31%;
• 37% said they would tip landscapers, down from 41%; and
• 21% said they would tip garbage collectors, down from 26%. 

The median forecasted tip amount for landscapers and garbage collectors rose this year–to $50 from $30, and to $25 from $20, respectively—while it remained the same or fell for the other four.

For housekeepers, the Bankrate report said this year’s median reported holiday tipping amount is $50, on par with 2024; for childcare providers it was $48, down from $50; for mail carriers it was $20, about flat year-over-year; and for teachers it was $25, also unchanged. 

Higher earners are helping hold the tipping numbers up, according to Bankrate Senior Industry Analyst Ted Rossman.