How much to tip movers is up to you, because tipping is optional. Our crews appreciate it when it happens, but they don’t expect it, and you won’t get a different level of care if you decide not to. When customers do tip, most use one of two simple methods: a set amount for each mover for every hour they worked on a local move, or a small percentage of the total bill on a long-distance move, split among the crew. I’ll explain both below, along with when to hand it over and some ways to say thanks that cost very little.
Is tipping movers expected?
No. I get asked this a lot, usually in a slightly embarrassed voice at the end of an estimate, so let me take the awkwardness out of it. A tip is a thank-you. It isn’t part of the price, and it isn’t something our crew leads hint at or wait around for at the end of the day.
I understand why people wonder, though. Moving is personal work. You spend a whole day watching people carry your grandmother’s dresser down the stairs, wrap the TV, and work out how a sectional is going to get through a doorway it seemingly shouldn’t fit through. Most people feel like they want to do something. If you do, that’s lovely. If money is tight because you just paid for a move and maybe a house on top of it, that’s completely understandable, and there are other ways to show appreciation that our crews value just as much. I’ll get to those.
The rules of thumb customers use
I’m not going to give you a number. It’s your money, and the right amount depends on your budget and how the day went. What I can tell you is how the customers I’ve worked with tend to think about it.
On a local move in Colorado Springs, the most common approach is a set amount per mover for each hour of work. A short apartment move ends up with a small tip, and a long day in a big house with a finished basement ends up larger. It scales with the effort, which is why people like it. Some customers pick a flat amount per person for a half day or a full day instead, which is easier to plan for ahead of time.
On a long-distance move, the bill is bigger and the work is spread across packing, loading and delivery, so people more often think in terms of a small percentage of the total. They divide that among everyone who handled the shipment.
Either way, customers usually adjust up or down based on a few things:
- Lots of stairs, a long walk from the door to the truck, or a third floor with no elevator
- Very heavy or awkward pieces, like a treadmill or a solid wood armoire
- A hot afternoon, a snowy morning, or a day that ran much longer than planned
- A crew that took extra care with something that matters to you
And if the day went badly, skip the tip and tell us. I would much rather hear from you directly so I can make it right than have you quietly leave a little less and wonder whether anyone noticed.
When to tip, and who gets it
For a local move, the end of the day is the natural time. Wait until the last piece is in place, the beds are back together and you’ve walked through the house with the crew lead. Then you know how the whole day went, and you aren’t guessing.
Hand it to each mover yourself if you can. Giving the whole amount to the crew lead works too, as long as you tell them it’s for everyone. Still, people remember being thanked face to face, and it only takes a minute.
Long moves are different, and this is where people get caught off guard. As the local interstate agent for Wheaton, we plan, pack and load your home here in Colorado Springs, and Wheaton’s nationwide network carries the shipment to your new state. That means the crew that loads your truck and the crew that unloads it at the other end are often different people. If you’re going to tip, it’s fair to thank each crew at the end of their part of the job: the loading crew when your house here is empty, and the delivery crew when your things are inside the new place. If packing happens on a separate day from loading, the same idea applies to the packers.
Some families set aside the whole amount before the move and split it into two or three envelopes ahead of time. That’s a smart way to do it, because by delivery day you’ll be tired, distracted and probably looking for the box with the coffee maker.
Cash or another way
Cash is the easiest. Each person leaves with it in hand and nobody has to sort anything out later. Some customers put it in envelopes with each mover’s name written on the front, which is a nice touch. You’ll learn names during the day without trying. It happens naturally by lunch.
If you don’t usually carry cash, ask our office about it when you book, or a few days before the move. That way you aren’t standing in the driveway at five o’clock trying to work out what’s possible. Some movers are happy with a payment app and some aren’t, so it’s worth asking the crew lead rather than assuming.
One more practical point. Hit the bank or the ATM a day or two early. Moving week has a way of eating every spare minute, and the morning of the move is not when you want to be running errands.
Ways to say thanks that don’t involve money
This is the part I most want people to read. Some of the kindest things customers do for our crews cost almost nothing.
Water comes first. Colorado Springs is high and dry, and the summer sun here is stronger than a lot of newcomers expect. A mover carrying boxes up and down stairs all afternoon loses water faster than they realize, and the altitude makes it catch up with people quickly, even folks who grew up here. A cooler of cold water and a few sports drinks by the front door gets used every single time. In winter, a pot of coffee on the kitchen counter is just as welcome.
Snacks help on any move. On a long day, buying lunch is something crews remember for a long time. Pizza or a tray of sandwiches is plenty. Ask the crew lead when a good stopping point would be so the food shows up at the right moment. They’ll usually eat fast and get right back to it.
Small things around the house matter too. Letting the crew use a bathroom, keeping pets and kids out of the walkways, and having boxes taped and ready all make the day go smoother for everyone. A lot of that comes down to preparation, and I covered more of it in my 10 tips for a stress-free local move in Colorado Springs.
Then there’s the review. When you write a review and name the movers who helped you, those people hear about it. I share them with the crew, and I can tell you it means a great deal to someone who spent the day carrying your couch. A specific line, something like “the crew lead figured out how to get our sectional down the basement stairs,” does more for a mover than you’d guess. It also helps the next family who is trying to decide who to trust with their home.
What I’d tell a friend
If a friend asked me, I’d say this. Tip if you want to and can, keep it within your budget, and don’t let it become one more thing to stress about during a week that already has plenty going on. Keep the water cold, say thank you, and if the crew did right by you, tell people about it.
If you’re planning a move and want to know what it would really involve, we’ll walk through your home with you and put together a free, no-obligation estimate. You can request your free estimate here, and I’m always glad to answer questions like this one along the way.
– Melysa