How Much Should You Chip In for Office Collections?

Short answer: chip in a small amount you can afford without thinking twice. That usually means $5 to $20 in the US or £3 to £10 in the UK. You can give more for a close teammate and less, or nothing, when money is tight. Office collections are voluntary, and nobody should be checking what you put in.

The rest of this guide shows how to pick your number, when to change it, and how to say no without making it awkward.

What people actually give

There isn't much good data on this, but the UK has a few useful surveys:

• In a 2023 instantprint survey of 1,000 UK office workers, the most common answers were £3–£5 (34%) and £6–£10 (29%). Only about 10% said they usually give more than £10, and 19% said they don't take part at all.
• UK collection platform Collection Pot reports an average donation of £10 to leaving collections on its service. Keep in mind that it sells a collection product, so this number only reflects its own users.

In the US, there's no comparable national survey. Advice columns usually suggest similar small amounts. For example, a Penny Hoarder columnist suggested $10 or $20 toward a group wedding gift for a coworker the reader barely knew. The same columnist also said the reader had no obligation to give anything.

The main point is that a small amount is normal. You don't need to match anyone else's contribution.

A simple guide by occasion

Think of it like tipping at a coffee shop. You don't work out a percentage every time. You have a default and change it now and then. These ranges are general guidelines, not rules:

1. Birthday card or cake for someone you barely know: $0–$5 (or £0–£3). A signature on the card is enough.
2. Leaving gift or retirement for a teammate: $5–$15 (or £3–£10). This is the most common kind of collection.
3. Wedding, new baby, or bereavement for someone you work with closely: $10–$20 (or £5–£15).
4. A close work friend's big life event: give more if you want to. You can also give your own small gift privately instead.
5. Gift for the boss: contribute only as part of a group, and keep it small. The Emily Post Institute says the best way to give to a boss is as a department or group.

What should move your number up or down

• How well you know the person. Your connection to them matters more than their job title.
• How often collections happen. On a team of 40 with collections every month, $20 each time adds up fast. On a team of 6 with one collection a year, it doesn't.
• Your budget. If you're paying off debt or living paycheck to paycheck, give $2 or nothing. That's fine.
• How your office does things. Some teams quietly expect a flat amount, while others don't track it at all. Anna Post of the Emily Post Institute told ABC News that the most important thing is to think about the culture at your office, and that it's worth asking around before you give.

What you should not use to set your number is what the person holding the envelope seems to expect.

A quick way to budget for it

Collections are small, regular costs, much like buying the occasional coffee. You'll worry about them less if you plan for them once instead of deciding each time.

Hypothetical example: say your team runs about one collection a month and your default is $10. That's around $120 a year, or $10 a month set aside as a small "office kitty" line in your budget. When a collection comes around, the money is already there. If you've already used your monthly amount, give less or skip this one.

If you're also tracking commuting, lunches, and coffee, you can add this to your cost-per-office-day cap for return-to-office budgeting so all your workplace spending sits in one place.

How to give less, or skip, without awkwardness

You don't have to explain yourself. Here are a few simple options:

1. Sign the card and pass the envelope along. Most collections are anonymous, so nobody can tell what you gave.
2. Give a few coins or a small note. A little still counts as taking part.
3. Use a short line if you're asked: "I'll sign the card, but I'm sitting this one out." Don't add anything else.
4. Do something instead of giving money. Organize the card, bring snacks, or write a thoughtful message.

Almost a third of respondents in the instantprint survey said they feel obliged to give because other people do. If you feel that pressure, you're far from the only one, and you don't have to give in to it.

Special rules for US federal employees

If you work for the US federal government, collections for a superior are covered by ethics rules. Under 5 CFR 2635.304, you may make a voluntary contribution of a nominal amount toward a gift for a superior only on special, infrequent occasions. These include marriage, illness, the birth or adoption of a child, or the end of the working relationship, such as retirement or transfer. Occasional collections for shared office food are also allowed.

Birthdays don't count. Even a milestone birthday isn't an "infrequent occasion" under the rule. Some agencies set exact limits. For example, the Department of Defense supplement at 5 CFR 3601.104 caps the nominal contribution at $10. Check with your agency's ethics office before you give or collect.

Private employers can set their own policies, so check your employee handbook if you're not sure.

If you're the one organizing

• Say clearly that it's optional. The Emily Post Institute says it's fine to suggest an amount, but you should make clear that both the amount and whether to take part are up to each person.
• Collect anonymously. An envelope with a deadline works well, so nobody can see what anyone else gave.
• Spend all the money on the gift. If there's money left over, add it to the gift or put it toward the next collection.
• Keep a light tally. A note of the total and what you bought keeps things transparent without singling anyone out.

To sum up: pick a small default amount, adjust it based on how close you are to the person and what you can afford, and remember that signing the card counts too.