Can You Tip Mail Carriers in New Jersey for the Holidays?

Here's the real answer to a question that gets asked every year.

The holidays are coming up quickly! Tis the season to show some extra gratitude for the people who work so hard to take care of us. It's customary to give a larger tip than normal to people like your hair dresser, landscapers, and news carriers. Some people even show gratitude for gas pump attendants.

Surely, mail carriers should be included in the above list, since they work every day, in all weather conditions, to make sure our mail is delivered. They're working extra hard during the holiday season to get gifts to people on time. But, things get complicated because US Postal workers have to abide by federal law - and there are laws surrounding gift giving.

Since this is a confusing topic, I figured it'd be a good idea to clear up whether or not postal workers can accept tips, and the different rules for USPS, UPS, and FedEx employees.

Photo by Victória Kubiaki on Unsplash

Can US Postal workers accept tips?

According to the USPS website, postal workers can accept tips for the holidays, but there are a few guidelines. They're allowed to take a gift worth $20 or less, but, they are not allowed to take any cash gifts, gift cards, or pretty much anything you can redeem for cash. A good idea example of a gift for postal workers may be gloves, a coffee mug, a scarf, or little trinkets that have less than a $20 value. They also cannot except more than $50 worth of gifts from the same customer in a year.

Can FedEx workers accept tips?

FedEx's gift policy is more clear cut than the USPS's. Drivers are not allowed to accept cash, gift cards, or anything that can be redeemed for cash, from customers, according to their website.

Photo by Maarten van den Heuvel on Unsplash

Can UPS workers accept tips?

There was no official gift policy on the UPS website, but according to CNBC, UPS workers are told to decline cash gifts, but if the customer insists, they can take it.

Hopefully this clears up any confusion surrounding gift giving for postal workers during the holiday season!

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