When making a move across Canada, you could be wondering how much to tip the movers for the labor they do.
Given the "tip-flation" phenomenon, some believe tipping a moving team is like tipping any other employee in the service sector – 15-20% of the overall cost or more. Hiring a moving company does, however, require different tip rules. Use our guide to learn the mover average tip percentage.

Should You Tip Movers?
One approach to show appreciation to the crew who assisted you in managing your relocation procedure is by tipping movers. Tips are personal; hence, your inclination will determine whether or not you tip a moving team.
Tips might not be frequent in other places since the service fee can be predetermined and already included in the final bill. Moving is a service sector with somewhat unusual characteristics; however, your whole fee for moving services does not include tips.
The recommendations are shared among moving firms that it is challenging to design a single template for all residential or business removals since every relocation may vary in many aspects.
- Type and size of the move;
- The total weight of your belongings;
- The amount of heavy furniture or fragile items;
- Additional options, such as packing services;
- The distance between the cities;
The moving crew's time and effort should be the primary consideration when tipping movers in Canada. Your entire bill and the degree of intricacy between relocating across the nation to a new area and little relocation within the same city can be quite different. The type of relocation also counts; for instance, an office moving to a new commercial building most likely requires professional movers to carefully work throughout the moving day, carrying and lowering many items, furniture, and equipment from the top levels to the first floor. You also should consider the state of the weather.
Moving tips are your means of honoring the crew you hired for their individual efforts and time to finish your move.
Consideration When Working Out How Much To Tip
As discussed, deciding how much to tip your movers requires careful thought from many angles. Important factors to consider before choosing a moving company consist in:
Complexity of Move
Depending on the particular moving requirements, the difficulty of the chore differs from relocation to relocation. You should thus respond to the following questions to better grasp what your moving day could look like, what moving services you could need, and how difficult the process can be:
- How far can you move, and how easily can a truck reach your place?
- How many expert movers and packers would you need to finish the work?
- The entire process—from packaging items to loading them into a truck and driving them—can take how many days?
- You intend to move to your new house with how many large objects, such as appliances and bulky furniture?
The responses will make clear how many employees you should bring on and how much to tip Canadian movers.
Quality of Service
The professionalism of the moving business you choose is the second element to consider. Pay close attention to movers' performance of their duties.
- The team arrived at what hour? Is the schedule agreed upon followed? Should the movers be late, what could be the cause?
- How do employees put their goods into a truck? Are they focused enough on the boxes with fragile labels?
- When moving large and heavy objects, do the movers cover your floor, walls, and door opening?
- Do movers make continuous breaks, or are they efficient?
Final Moving Cost
Examine your last bill and decide:
- Was packaging paid for individually or included in the overall service cost?
- It took how many trucks to move all of your stuff?You can also project your relocation budget to know how much to tip your movers will be sufficient. To better budget for paying the last bill and cash tips, it is advisable to obtain a free quote before engaging a professional moving company.
You can also project your relocation budget to know how much to tip your movers will be sufficient. To better budget for paying the last bill and cash tips, it is advisable to obtain a free quote before engaging a professional moving company.
Condition of Items After Move
The first thing you should do upon getting to a new site before paying the moving company and tip movers is to check your boxes:
- Check to ensure everything arrived sound and safe.
- To ensure nothing is absent, review the inventory list;
Among the main determinants of your tip amount or refusal to pay the team for a task poorly done are the quality of the work done and the protection of your possessions.
Distance Moving
City distances also play another influence.
The movers need more time to complete the job the more distance should be conquered.
For this reason, tipping movers varies depending on local relocation and distance travelled as workers' pay is often computed per mover per hour.
How Much Should You Tip Movers?
Now that we have discussed the elements to take into account while making a relocation, we would want to know, "How much do you tip movers in Canada?"
Usually costing between $500 to $15,000, or even more, the relocation may cost you; tipping movers runs in the region of $20 to $150 each mover.
More precisely, you can project movers' tip amount by applying this formula:
- If the entire moving process takes less than 4 hours, then the standard tip is usually $20-30;
- If your move is more complex and requires a full day’s work (about 8-9 hours), then a tip range is $40-50 per mover;
- If you are travelling long distances and movers need to spend 10 hours or more completing a task, then the tip range could be $50-150, depending on the complexity of the job;
Tip Long-distance Movers
The ideal approach is to figure your tips depending on the hours spent on the process when hiring long-distance movers.
Among the primary causes are the great cost of such a kind of relocation and the possibility that two teams of movers will be managing yours. You could so have to tip your movers two times.
From your business, it is advisable to know ahead of time exactly how many movers and how many teams will be engaged in the process. Furthermore, you could find out from your carrier how much other customers often pay movers.
Depending on the degree of work quality and task difficulty, the tip range for long-distance relocation is $50–150.
Tip Local Movers
Either the old good rule of 10–15% of the entire price for the service rendered or you can figure how much to tip local movers depending on the hours spent on the relocation or use.
Usually faster and simpler are short-distance trips inside one city and surrounds. Consequently, one crew of movers—which consists of many members—is probably going to handle all the labor.
From your firm in your particular area, you can get the local relocation average tip amount. Usually, you should tip movers $20 to $50 each worker.
When Should You Tip Movers in Canada?
Tipping movers happen toward the end of your move, when you get at a new site and unload your stuff.
On long-distance moves, where two teams of movers could be engaged in the process, however, you should tip the first crew upon completion of their portion of the work.
Before tipping or paying a courier, also go over your items for damage or loss.
When To Avoid Tipping Movers
You might not tip if the movers handled your boxes carelessly, which would cause certain valuables to be damaged or lost because of team unprofessionalism.
It is also advisable to avoid tipping and get in touch with your moving business should the team you hired treat your property disrespectfully, demand gratuities as a needed payment, or treat you rudely.
Additional reasons could be:
- The movers were late without a good reason;
- The moving team spent too much time on breaks;
- Not all services you paid for you received;
Payment Methods To Use When Tipping Your Movers
Best negotiated ahead of time with the hired company is the payment method. The reason is that every carrier might have varied tipping policies: some solely let cash gratuities, while others might take several payment methods.
When tipping movers, most of the time you have the following choice:
- Credit card;
- Cash tip;
- Cheque;
- Extras (food & drinks);
Other Ways You Can Show Appreciation
Providing Beverages For Your Movers
Whichever season you live in, beverages are a great approach to tip movers. If you relocate during winter, you can purchase hot beverages or cold drinks to keep the movers refreshed. A hot summer day calls for cold drinks.
Prepare Snacks For Your Movers
Offering food is always another way to thank the movers. Snacks give a quick approach to replenish and satisfy hunger since the moving process normally lasts a whole day and is physically demanding hard work. You may also order pizza as a kind gesture.
Leave A Review
Remember to write a favorable review if the movers you hired are really pros and you are happy with their output. This will let more people hear about this business.
Refer Them To Your Friends And Family
Referrals are quite helpful since most customers choose a moving company based on recommendations of others. Another great approach to tip movers is to refer them to friends and relatives for their move.
Conclusions
Your inclination as well as the degree of difficulty and length of the move determine the tip amount. Inquiring ahead of the business about the tip amount will also help you to demonstrate your gratitude.
Especially if you were happy with their work, tipping is essentially a means of thanks to the crew that assisted you in relocation.
Hire credible expert movers to guarantee a good relocation. Ask us about the top businesses in your area; we can assist you to choose qualified movers for your requirements!