Should You Tip Lawn Service? (5 Things to Consider)

You are not alone if you are confused about whether or not you should tip your lawn service provider because, frankly, it’s confusing. However, there are a few clear instances when tipping may be appropriate and when it may not be. 

It is not customary to tip your regular lawn service provider during a routine visit to your property. However, if your service provider carries out work for you regularly, it is only considered customary to tip during the holiday period. 

We hope this has already eased some of your concerns. However, I’m sure you still have some unanswered questions. For example, perhaps you’re unsure how to tip an individual service provider, or what do you do if your service provider doesn’t accept cash tips? 

Fortunately for you, we have the answers to these questions and more. We hope to put all of your concerns at ease regarding tipping your lawn service provider.  

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The Basics of Tipping Your Lawn Guys

This section will help you understand the basics of tipping your gardener – explaining when you should tip, how to tip, and what you can do if they are not willing to accept a cash tip. 

Should I Tip my Yard Guy?

You could indeed tip your yard guy as a grateful gesture. However, individuals working within this industry are likely not expecting you to tip. 

It is not common practice for professionals in the gardening world to receive a tip, as they are not considered ‘Tipped Employees.’ However, there are some instances where it would be appropriate for you to tip your yard guy. 

Are You Supposed to Tip Your Gardener?

There is no hard rule that states you are supposed to tip your gardener. It is not the industry standard to tip; therefore, your gardener will not likely be expecting a tip. 

However, if you ask your gardener to complete additional services, or he completes a difficult task for you that may typically be outside of his job description, you could consider providing him with a tip on that occasion. 

Do You Tip Lawn Service?

Like other services in this industry, tipping your lawn service provider is not considered standard practice unless they have done an exceptional job or the holiday season is nearing. 

Tipping your lawn service is not a black and white area.

For example, there are instances such as the holiday period, once a year, when you could consider providing your regular lawn service with an additional tip or even a small present if they don’t accept tips! 

Do Lawn Care Companies Accept Tips?

Whether or not lawn care companies accept tips depends on your chosen lawn care company. Some may accept tips. However, this will not be the case for all. Therefore, it could be worth discussing how your lawn care company feels about tipping. 

Just like your garden, each lawn care company is different. Each operates under different policies concerning accepting tips. You will only know how your lawn company feels about tips by asking them. 

What is Proper Tipping Etiquette for a Lawn Care Person?

The proper etiquette for tipping a lawn care person is not offering a tip for every service. However, it is seen as appropriate to tip once a year – typically during the holidays – or for extra duties. 

Try not to think that tipping your lawn care provider is essential. Instead, think of it more as showing gratitude for when they go above and beyond.

For example, your lawn care person has stayed late to finish a difficult job, or they may have worked close to the holidays to get your garden just perfect for you to host a family event.

It could be considered appropriate to tip a lawn care person in these instances.

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Tipping in Special Circumstances

As briefly mentioned in the last section, there are exceptional circumstances where it is appropriate to tip your gardener. This section will help identify those exceptional circumstances and the best way to approach them. 

Do You Tip a One-time Lawn Service?

While it is not considered customary that you tip a one-time lawn service, it may be appropriate for you to consider tipping for a one-time service, particularly if they have rearranged their regular schedule or exceeded your expectations.

Fitting you in for a one-time lawn service can be difficult for a company with a busy schedule full of regular clients. In addition, this can often take some juggling of their existing long-term clients.

In this instance, you could show your appreciation by tipping a little extra. 

You may want to show your appreciation by providing a tip if a lawn care professional comes out to complete a one-time service at your property and has completed this to an extremely high standard.

How Much Should I Tip My Lawn Service When They Do an Excellent Job?

When your lawn service does an excellent job, you should use your best judgment when deciding on the tip amount. For example, tipping more than the job initially costs will be seen as unnecessary. 

For example, if the specific job costs $100, tipping them $150 is seen as dramatic. Instead, in this case, you can consider tipping around $20-$25. 

Your service provider may potentially politely turn down your offer. However, you have still shown an evident appreciation for their hard work. 

Do You Tip Landscapers for Spring Cleanup?

You can tip your landscapers for spring clean-up. Of course, spring clean-up is a bigger job than routine landscaping. However, these professionals understand what is expected of them for such a job. 

Hiring a landscaper to carry out a spring clean-up for you can be a big job, depending on the size of your property and the maintenance your garden requires. 

This might include clearing away leaves and other clutter and the disposal of what has been cleared away. You may require the borders of your lawn and flower gardens to be redefined. 

These jobs require a lot of additional work for a landscaper. It would be okay to offer your landscaper a tip to show your appreciation in this situation. 

Should I Tip My Lawn Care Person for Completing Extra Services?

If your lawn care person carries out extra services at your property, you could offer them a tip to show your appreciation. This will also encourage them to continue working for you.

As an example of extra services, let’s say you have a regular company that comes and provides you with a lawn care service. Perhaps they come weekly to mow your lawn and prune your trees, preventing them from getting out of hand. 

However, you have decided that you would like them to carry out an additional service. You think that a bright flower bed would help your garden pop.

You call your regular lawn care provider and ask them if this is a service they would be able to provide. Fortunately, they can. They let you know they can do this at your regular weekly slot. 

On occasions like this, where your lawn care person has completed a service they do not usually provide for you, you could offer them a tip. 

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Should I Tip My Lawn Care Service if They Worked Through Bad Weather?

It is not customary to offer your lawn care service a tip, regardless of the weather. However, if you feel that your service provider has worked through bad weather to get a job done that perhaps others would have postponed, you could offer them a tip. 

Some landscaping jobs can’t be carried out in bad weather, particularly if the bad weather has lasted some time since this is just the nature of the job.

Therefore, it may be essential that your provider waits for the ground to dry out before carrying out these services. 

Some jobs can be carried out regardless of the weather. If your landscaper does carry out work for you in bad conditions, you could offer them a tip. 

Tipping During Special Holidays

This section will help you understand whether it is appropriate to tip your gardener during the holiday period. We hope we can help you navigate what can be a difficult time of year when it comes to tipping your landscaper. 

Is it Normal to Tip Lawn Care Service Around the Holidays?

It is considered normal to offer your lawn care provider a once-a-year tip. This tip is often offered during the holiday period, particularly if you have a regular lawn care service provider.

The holiday period can be a difficult time of year to navigate tipping your regular service providers. However, it is considered normal to tip at Christmas. If your lawn care service provider does not accept cash tips, they will let you know. 

Should you Tip Your Landscaper at Christmas?

It is customary to tip your landscaper once a year, which is most often provided at Christmas. This once-a-year tip shows appreciation for the hard work your landscaper puts in year-round. 

While tipping every time your landscaper attends to your property is unnecessary, it is considered normal to offer a tip once a year. This tip is most often offered at Christmas, during the holiday period. 

What Do You Tip a Gardener at Christmas?

It can be challenging to find an appropriate amount to tip your gardener at Christmas. One easy way to do this is by offering them the same amount you pay for their weekly or bi-weekly services.

Offering them their standard rate on top of that week’s payment is a common way of offering a cash tip at Christmas time. This amount will vary depending on how much you usually pay your gardener. 

How Much Do You Tip Your Lawn Guy at Christmas?

You may not be sure what is the appropriate amount to tip your gardener. For example, if you pay your gardener $20 a week to cut your lawn, it may be appropriate to offer them an additional $20 the last time they come before Christmas. 

This amount will change depending on how much your regular service costs. For example, if you have a larger or higher-maintenance garden, you may pay your gardener 50 dollars a week.

If this is the case, you could offer them an additional 50 dollars during the holiday period. 

Creditcards.com offers a holiday tipping guide that highlights the average amount tipped to a landscaper as $30. The guide also actively encourages holiday tipping for your regular service providers. 

Tipping Without Cash

Some gardeners won’t accept cash tips, and this situation can be tricky to navigate. This section will provide you with non-monetary options for tipping your gardener and explain other ways to show appreciation for those that provide lawn care services. 

How Do I Show My Appreciation to a Lawn Care Service if They Don’t Accept Tips?

There are many ways you can show your appreciation for lawn care services without using cash. This can be in the form of gifts and offering commendations for an individual to their employer.

So, your landscaper does not accept tips; this may be their company policy or just the preference of the individual who is servicing your lawn.

However, there is no need to panic. There are other options when it comes to recognizing the hard work of your lawn care providers. 

How Can I Tip Without Cash?

One of the best ways to offer a tip without cash is to provide your gardener with a gift during the holiday period. This does not have to be extravagant, just something that shows them you recognize and appreciate their hard work. 

It is essential to consider that some companies have policies that limit the amount that can be spent on a gift when tipping during the holiday season.

Check with your landscaper if there is a company policy about holiday gifts. 

If there is a policy, it is crucial to follow the guidance provided. If not, a good guide is not to exceed the amount you would give if you provided a cash tip. 

For example, if you were to pay your gardener $30 a week, and they do not accept cash gifts, spending more than $30 on a gift for them during the holiday period might not be appropriate. 

The type of gift you provide depends on who and the number of people you are tipping during the holiday period. 

Some examples of common gifts include:

• Festive food – Who doesn’t love a nice box of chocolates
• Poinsettia – What gardener wouldn’t love some festive flowers
• A Tea Set – There’s no better way to show your gratitude than a cup of hot tea

Are There Other Ways to Show My Appreciation to Lawn Care Service Providers?

Another way to show your appreciation for your lawn care provider is by telling them while they are there. You could do this verbally or by providing hot drinks and snacks while they carry out the work on your property. 

You can thank your lawn care service provider for all of their hard work while they are working on your garden. Another option is to offer them a cup of tea or coffee, perhaps even a biscuit or a sandwich. 

This is an excellent option if your lawn care provider has a company policy where they do not accept gifts or cash tips during the year. 

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Can I Call a Lawn Care Service Manager to Brag About their Employees?

You could definitely call your landscaping company and ask to speak to the individual who works as your gardens manager and offer a commendation. 

Offering a commendation is an excellent way to show your appreciation for your lawn care service provider, allowing you to brag about their hard work.

This shows your appreciation and shows their manager that they are a valuable employee. 

Tipping Specific Service Providers

You may have an array of service providers who work on your property. These providers may all work for the same company or be smaller individual providers that each come to carry out a specific task in your garden. 

This section will break down the specific service providers and help you understand if you should tip them. 

Do I Need to Tip a Lawn Mower?

If the lawnmower provides a regular service, it is not customary to offer them a tip. However, there are instances where you may feel it is appropriate to do so. 

If a lawnmower provides you with a service that goes above and beyond what they usually do, you could offer them a tip. But, of course, it would also be appropriate to tip your regular lawnmower during the holiday season. 

Do You Tip Tree Planters?

Like other lawn care service providers, it is not customary to tip tree planters if they provide you with regular service. However, if they provide a one-time excellent service, you could offer them a tip. 

However, it would be appropriate to tip a tree planter who is providing you with regular service during the holiday period. You could also consider offering them a non-cash tip in the form of a gift. 

Do You Tip Landscapers for a One-time Job?

Your choice to tip a landscaper who has provided you with a one-time job depends on how they met your expectations. Of course, they will not be expecting a tip for their services. However, if they do an exceptional job, you could show your appreciation through a tip. 

Landscapers offering you a one-time service often carry out a large job at your property, such as spring clean-up. These jobs can often take time and require the landscaper to reschedule some of their regular clients. 

If a landscaper provides you with a one-time service that meets or exceeds your expectations, you could show your appreciation for their hard work through a tip. 

How Do You Tip a Whole Crew of Lawn Care Providers?

It is not customary to tip a crew of lawn care providers who work on your property. However, if you choose to offer a tip, it should be based on the work carried out and not the number of crew members. 

It is only customary to tip your regular crew of lawn care providers during the holiday period. However, providing the crew with a gift that they can share may be better.

This could be a box of chocolates or biscuits, for example. 

How Much Do You Tip a Contractors’ Crew?

The same principle applies when tipping a crew as when tipping an individual- it is only customary to tip during the holiday season. You could tip the value of the regular service they carry out. If it costs $50, you could tip $50.

The value of the regular service provided by a contractor’s crew can also be used as a guide when deciding how much you should spend on a gift.

Additionally, it is essential to check the companies policy about gifts during the holiday period. 

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Related Questions

Should I Tip My Plumber?

You do not need to tip a plumber for their work, but this does not necessarily mean that you can’t tip your plumber. There are occasions where it would be appropriate to tip your plumber. 

While plumbers do not ask for a tip, it is not unexpected within their industry. If they provide you with excellent service and you wish to offer a tip, you can. However, they will let you know if they do not accept tips. 

Can I Tip My Newspaper Carrier?

You do not need to tip your newspaper carrier every time they deliver a paper to your doorstep. However, there are times when a tip may be appropriate. 

Newspaper carriers often provide you with regular service. If this is the case, you could offer a small tip during the holiday period. It is not uncommon for customers to tip their newspaper provider at Christmas. 

The average amount tipped for this type of service is $20. If you prefer not to offer a monetary tip, you can leave them a gift or a note that thanks them for their hard work. 

Final Thoughts 

We hope that we have answered all of your questions about tipping your lawn service providers and have provided insight into how you can best tackle the holiday season when it comes to tipping your landscapers.