Christmas 2023 Tip and Gift For Postal Workers In North Dakota

Christmas is an extremely busy time of year for a lot of us, especially for postal workers. Many of us tip them or give gifts, but there are some rules you need to know.

Giving gifts to people who make our lives a little bit easier—such as mail carriers, delivery drivers, and trash collectors—is a holiday custom for many people, but there are strict rules about what they can and cannot accept as gifts.

The Season Of Giving

During this time of year, some people may put out a cute little basket on their porch with snacks and bottled water for package delivery people, or tape a Christmas card with an enclosed gift card.

Even though these are all lovely gestures, there are a few rules that you might not be aware of, particularly when leaving a gift for a United States postal carrier. It turns out that there are some stringent rules set by the government regarding gift-giving and employee tips.

Rules Carries Must Follow

Like with most employers, there are policies and procedures that must be followed in order for an employee to be employed. This also applies to the USPS. In actuality, they adhere to the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch because they are an employer of the US government.

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What Can a Postal Carrier Accept as a Gift?

Let us examine the rules regarding accepting gifts from those Standards of Ethical Conduct before you stuff a $20 bill into a holiday card for your mail carrier. It turns out that the maximum amount of gift that your mail carrier can accept is $20 per occasion. They are also prohibited from accepting cash or items having a cash value that can be redeemed, such as gift cards that are issued by banks or credit card companies. Additionally, each customer may only accept gifts totaling no more than $50 per calendar year from them.

All postal employees, including carriers, must comply with the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. Under these federal regulations, carriers are permitted to accept a gift worth $20 or less from a customer per occasion, such as Christmas. However, cash and cash equivalents, such as checks or gift cards that can be exchanged for cash, must never be accepted in any amount. Furthermore, no employee may accept more than $50 worth of gifts from any one customer in any one calendar year period.

What Can You Gift to Your Postal Carrier?

As an alternative to giving your postal carrier a meal, the code of conduct recommends "modest items of food and non-alcoholic refreshments, such as coffee, donuts, and soft drinks, offered other than as part of a meal." As long as the value is $20 or less, it is also acceptable to give a greeting card or a gift card to a restaurant or coffee shop.