How Much to Tip Your Building Super: A Resident's Guide

How much to tip your super at the holidays

The guides don't agree, so here they are side by side instead of blended into one number.

Two things stand out. The super's range sits above the doorman's in Corcoran's guide ($150 to $300 versus $75 to $200), and the ceiling is high: Brick Underground's full range for a super tops out at $500.

Brick Underground also lists what moves the number: "the size of your building (the larger the staff, the smaller the individual tips), quality of service, staff seniority, length of time you've lived there, whether you own or rent," plus your own finances. And Emily Post's rule applies to all of it: you shouldn't feel obligated to go beyond your personal budget.

If you're tipping more than one person, our guide to tipping building staff role by role covers the rest of the team, and the doorman tipping guide goes deeper on the front desk.

When there's no doorman, the super does more

In a doorman building, the work is split. The front desk handles packages, visitors, and deliveries, and the super handles the building itself. Take the desk away and a lot of that work lands on the super.

In New York City, the law keeps the super close. The city's Housing Maintenance Code says whoever handles janitorial services for a building with 9 or more units must live in the building or within one block (200 feet) of it, whichever is greater. Exceptions apply to buildings where the owner lives on site or where janitorial staff cover the building around the clock. A super who covers more than one building can't take on more than 65 units.

If your super is picking up front desk work, tip for the whole job. Emily Post says to weigh "the quality and frequency of the service you receive," and a super who takes in your packages and lets your guests in gives you more of both. Start in the top half of your area's range.

How tenure changes what you tip

Tenure works in 2 directions here: how long you've lived in the building, and how long your super has been running it.

Your time in the building

StreetEasy puts it plainly: "Renters who've lived in their building for a long time tend to tip more, due to their stronger relationships with staff members." Brick Underground makes the same point from the other side, noting that a renter who "has not lived in a building for a long time and does not know the staff well is not likely to tip a large amount."

So if this is your first holiday in the building, the low end of the range is normal. You can move up as the relationship builds and as you learn how much your super does for you.

Your super's time in the building

Brick Underground lists staff seniority as a factor, and Corcoran notes that "in cities like New York, higher-end tips are common, particularly for long-tenured staff." A super who has run the same building for a decade knows its boiler, its plumbing, and its residents. That experience is part of what you're thanking them for.

This table is our guidance built from various factors. It isn't a survey of what residents actually give.

Do you tip your super for repairs?

It depends on the job. Julia Boland, an agent quoted in Corcoran's guide, draws a useful line: "I will tip my super for each of the jobs he does inside of my apartment during the year, but my holiday tip is for thanking him for the running of the building outside of my apartment."

None of the 4 holiday guides above puts a number on repair tips. Brick Underground's etiquette column does (2019): for a job that takes a few minutes, "I merely say thank you," and for something more complicated, "I hand him $20." Treat $20 as a starting point for bigger jobs, and plan on more for work outside what the building covers, like assembling furniture or hanging shelves. If it's private work, check with the management office before you ask your super to take it on.

Tipping for repairs throughout the year also means you can give less in December. Brick Underground says residents who tip year-round for extra services "often go on the lighter side at year's end," and StreetEasy agrees: "If you regularly tip the staff throughout the year, don't feel obligated to give a huge holiday tip."

Should renters tip the super?

Yes, though the expectation is lower. StreetEasy says "renters are not expected to tip as much as homeowners, because they did not invest in their homes," and Brick Underground notes that renters as a group tend to tip less than condo and co-op owners. Your super still fixes your leak the same way they fix an owner's, so a reasonable place to start is the low end of the range.

How to give your super a tip

Cash or a gift is the classic approach, and Emily Post says any tip should come with "a short handwritten note of appreciation."

Digital tipping is catching up. StreetEasy says it's "increasingly acceptable (and sometimes preferred!)" to send holiday tips electronically.

If your building uses TippingLink, you can tip your super from the BuildingLink resident app, the resident portal, or a direct link your building shares. You enter an amount next to your super's name, add a personal message if you want, and pay by credit card or bank transfer (ACH). A tipping history view lets you review tips you've sent before, which helps when you're matching last year's amount. TippingLink is built for sending thanks "anytime, from anywhere," so it works for the $20 after a repair as well as the holiday tip.

Building staff can receive 100% of their tips when they transfer them to their bank account, which is fee-free. You pay a TippingLink fee on top of the tip (3.5% with a $1 minimum per transaction), plus a 3% fee if you pay by credit card, and both are shown at checkout before you pay.

Your super will see who sent the tip and how much, and can send a thank-you note back through TippingLink. Your personal email address isn't shared with staff. Management is not shown individual tip details for specific staff members. If your property uses a tip pool to collect tips and disburse them to staff members, management may have visibility into who contributed, tip amounts, and disbursements to staff members, and information about contributions to the tip pool may be shared with the property on request.

For managers: your super is doing the front desk's job

If you manage a building without a doorman, your super is covering a lot of what a front desk would. TippingLink gives residents a way to thank them: they can tip your super and the rest of your team from the BuildingLink app and portal, and building staff receive 100% of their tips when they transfer them to their bank account, which is fee-free. Holiday tipping season is close, and staff setup and getting the word out to residents both take time. Connect with a member of our team to get TippingLink activated for your community before December.