Do You Tip Movers? Etiquette and Gratuity for Movers Explained

A straightforward breakdown of customary tips and moving crews

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: January 26, 2023 References

Recommended Tip

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Considerations for the Tip

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When should you give movers their tips?

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Are you required to tip movers?

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Additional Ways to Show Appreciation

If the moving crew is hard at work and you’ve realized you don’t know how much to tip them, you may be scrambling to figure out how much to withdraw from the ATM. Or, maybe you’re wondering if you need to tip them at all! Luckily, this is going to be fairly straightforward, so you won’t have to do any guesswork here. In this article, we’ll break down what kind of tip you should give your moving crew, so read on to learn more.

Things You Should Know

As a rule of thumb, tip 10-20% of the total bill to a moving crew if they did a good job.
You can tip $10-20 per mover if it wasn’t a particularly cumbersome or difficult move.
To calculate the tip, consider how heavy your items are, how much packing they did for you, and how far the movers had to move and travel.
Tip the moving crew at the end of the move when you’ve been given the final tab.

Section 1 of 5:

Recommended Tip

1
The generally recommended tip is 10-20% of the total bill. At the end of your move, you’ll get a bill for the total move. If you’re happy with the service, 10-20% of the total sum is considered fair. Your movers will deeply appreciate a tip of this size.^{[1]
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- For example, if your total tab is $800, you might tip $80 on the lower end, or $160 on the higher end depending on what you think the movers earned.
- Unlike servers, you probably won’t be able to tip movers via credit card. Bring physical cash if you can.
2
For a short, easy move, you can tip $10-20 per mover. If you hired movers to transport gear from a studio or 1- to 2-bedroom apartment to another nearby unit and it really didn’t take more than a few hours, it’s totally reasonable to hand each mover $10-20, even if the total sum doesn’t add up to more than 10% of the move.^{[2]
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Section 2 of 5:

Considerations for the Tip

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Are the movers travelling especially far between locations? If the movers need to haul your gear over an hour away from the current location, it’s probably eating into their day quite a bit. That means they won’t be able to complete more moves to earn more money. If they’re covering a great distance, you may want to increase your tip. If it’s a super short move, it’s okay to go a little lower.^{[3]
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- If the move is across multiple states or counties, the moving company may use 2 separate crews. If that’s the case, tip each crew, but keep it on the lower side (10% or $10 or so).
2
Was the move easy, or did you have a ton of heavy items? If the movers had to carry a 2,000 lb (910 kg) pool table and a bunch of gym equipment, they probably deserve some extra love. On the other hand, if you’re asking them to handle a bunch of lighter items and the furniture isn’t especially heavy, it’s appropriate to not over tip if you don’t want to.^{[4]
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Did the movers need to disassemble or pack anything for you? If your bedframe, desk, etc. were all taken apart and you already boxed up everything that needed to be boxed up, it doesn’t merit any extra tip. On the other hand, if you weren’t fully ready to go with the boxes and disassembled furniture, the movers probably deserve some extra cash for the effort.^{[5]
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- A lot of people will retract a portion of the tip if the movers are late to finish the move. But if they’re late because they had to wrap, disassemble, or package a bunch of your stuff, don’t hold it against them.
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How many stairs and long walks were involved? If you have a 4-story home and forgot to take out the parking permits for the moving truck so now the movers have to walk half a block to load it, you probably want to give the movers a bigger tip. On the other hand, if you have a driveway for their truck and it’s a single-story home, it’s okay to keep the tip smaller.^{[6]
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Were the movers professional, timely, and friendly? If you’re generally happy with the work the movers did, that’s important. Good, solid work is definitely worth rewarding, so feel free to tip movers more. On the other hand, if you’ve got a really sour taste in your mouth from the service you’ve received, it’s totally reasonable to give a smaller tip.^{[7]
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- If the work was downright reckless and they’ve damaged your items, lost something, or been outright rude, it’s perfectly reasonable to withhold the tip entirely.

Section 3 of 5:

When should you give movers their tips?

1
Tip cash at the end after everything has been moved. If this is your first time hiring movers, don’t worry. They’ll go through the bill and take final payment at the end when they’ve finished moving everything. After you’ve settled your final bill, that’s when you give them the tip.^{[8]
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- While you may be putting the move on a credit or debit card, you can’t typically put a tip on a credit card. Unless you arrange something else ahead of time, give the movers cash.
- You can give the mover who settled the bill with you the full tip if they’re the head of the moving crew, or individually distribute tips to each person who helped you move.
2
If you require two sets of movers, tip each crew separately. If you’re hiring a crew for a multi-state move or something similarly far, the moving company will likely use 2 separate sets of movers—one for the loading and one for the unloading. If this is the case, tip both moving crews. It’s okay to split a 20% tip in half, but the separate crews probably won’t be able to split a huge single tip.^{[9]
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Section 4 of 5:

Are you required to tip movers?

No, but it is expected since movers live on tips. Movers only make about $16 an hour, which isn’t a lot considering how backbreaking their job is.^{[10]
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Research source} As a result, it’s generally considered proper etiquette to tip movers. It’s perfectly reasonable to skip the tip if they really screw up, but for solid service you should definitely tip if you can.^{[11]
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Section 5 of 5:

Additional Ways to Show Appreciation

1
Offer snacks and bottled water to the movers. Moving is hard work and the movers will almost positively take you up on any cool water you offer them. If the move is taking more than a few hours, they’re likely to get hungry too. You could suggest buying pizza or subs for the movers.^{[12]
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- The movers probably brought lunch and water, but they’ll still appreciate the offer.
- Just to be clear, don’t do this instead of giving them a tip.
2
Allow movers to take things you plan on tossing. It’s common for people to dispose of stuff they don’t plan on keeping when they move. If that’s you and you’re getting rid of anything usable, tell the movers! One of them may be in need of a new nightstand, end table, or whatever you’re planning on tossing out.