Upper East Side · Holiday season 2026
Upper East Side Holiday Tipping Guide & Calculator
From the doorman and super in a Park Avenue co-op to the porter in a York Avenue rental, the nanny, the dog walker and the nail tech you see every other week: here is what NYC guides report as typical holiday tips, and a calculator to total your envelopes before the staff list arrives. Tips are a personal choice, not a rule.
Holiday tip calculator
We started you with a typical doorman-building list. Change the counts to match your building’s staff list, pick a level for each person, and add anyone else you thank at the holidays. Nothing you enter is saved or sent.
Super or resident manager
Guides report: $150–$300 on average
Subtotal$225
Doorman or concierge
Guides report: $75–$200 each on average
4 × $140$560
Porter, handyman or maintenance
Guides report: $25–$50 each on average
2 × $40$80
Your holiday total
$865
7 envelopes · $500 at the low end, $1,200 if everyone gets the top of the range
Add someone
Your building
At home
Beauty & wellness
Amounts are typical ranges reported by the NYC and etiquette guides cited below; “mid-range” is the middle of the reported range. Tipping is a personal choice, not a rule.
What NYC guides report
Typical holiday tips, by role
Building-staff ranges are averages from Brick Underground’s 2025 annual research, as reported by Corcoran and Fidelity, and match CityRealty’s December 2025 guide. Household and personal-care suggestions come from Corcoran, the Emily Post Institute and Fidelity’s 2026 guide.
Your building
- Super or resident manager
- $150–$300 on averageSource: Corcoran, CityRealty, Fidelity
- Doorman or concierge
- $75–$200 each on averageSource: Corcoran, CityRealty, Fidelity
- Porter, handyman or maintenance
- $25–$50 each on averageSource: Corcoran, CityRealty, Fidelity
At home
- Full-time nanny
- One week’s pay minimum, two if you can (Corcoran); up to one week’s pay plus a gift from the children (Emily Post)Source: Corcoran, Emily Post Institute
- Regular babysitter
- $25–$50 in cash or a gift card (Corcoran); up to one evening’s pay and a small gift from the children (Emily Post)Source: Corcoran, Emily Post Institute
- Housekeeper or cleaner
- One to two weeks of pay (Corcoran); up to one week’s pay and/or a small gift (Emily Post); one visit (Fidelity)Source: Corcoran, Emily Post Institute, Fidelity
- Dog walker
- One week’s pay (Corcoran); up to one week’s pay or a gift (Emily Post); one session (Fidelity)Source: Corcoran, Emily Post Institute, Fidelity
Beauty & wellness
- Nail tech or manicurist
- One session if you see them regularly (Fidelity); up to the cost of one salon visit, divided among the staff who work with you (Emily Post)Source: Fidelity, Emily Post Institute
- Esthetician or lash artist
- Up to the cost of one salon visit, divided among the staff who work with you (Emily Post, beauty salon staff)Source: Emily Post Institute
- Hairstylist, colorist or barber
- The cost of one service (Fidelity); up to the cost of one haircut or a gift (Emily Post)Source: Fidelity, Emily Post Institute
- Personal trainer or massage therapist
- One session (Fidelity); up to the cost of one session or a gift (Emily Post)Source: Fidelity, Emily Post Institute
Doorman-building etiquette
How the envelopes usually work
Wait for the staff list
Full-service buildings often send a holiday card listing every staff member by name and role, usually in the first week of December. It is the easiest way to make sure nobody on the overnight shift is missed.
Source: CityRealty, Corcoran
Cash in an envelope, with a card
Building staff generally prefer cash, with a short handwritten note. If the managing agent collects envelopes for staff you rarely see, a check helps make sure the right person receives it. Some co-ops share Venmo or Zelle handles instead.
Source: Corcoran, CityRealty
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas
Early to mid-December is the usual window, and earlier is better. Pick a card that celebrates the season generally, since staff may not share your holiday.
Source: CityRealty
New to the building?
If you moved in partway through the year, you can prorate. CityRealty cautions that cutting a tip in half, even if you arrived in summer, may be unwise, since the tip also looks ahead to the coming year.
Source: CityRealty
Staff funds are not tips
Building staff funds and maintenance fees rarely go directly to individual employees, so they are not a substitute for an envelope if you are able to give.
Source: Corcoran
For everyone else on your list
Give a ROW 89 gift card
For your sister, a friend who watered your plants all summer, or a sitter (Corcoran lists cash or a gift card for an occasional babysitter).
Any amount, for any service on either floor: facials, nails, lashes and more. Email it today or on the date you choose, or print it at home to hand over. Holiday, birthday and Mother's Day designs, with no expiration date.
For doormen and other building staff, NYC guides recommend cash rather than gift cards (CityRealty).
Gift ideas from our menu
- Regular manicure35 min · ROW 89 Nails & Lashes$22
- Color gel manicure45 min · ROW 89 Nails & Lashes$49
- Spa pedicure60 min · ROW 89 Nails & Lashes$89
- Advanced Pore Cleansing Facial60 min · ROW 89 Aesthetics, second floor$89
Prices from our online menu and subject to change. Choose a gift card amount that covers the service you have in mind. Nail menu · Facial menu
Holiday tipping questions
How much do you tip a doorman in NYC at the holidays?
NYC guides report $75–$200 per doorman or concierge on average (Corcoran and Fidelity, using Brick Underground’s 2025 figures; CityRealty reports the same range). Tips usually rise with seniority, and building size, how long you have lived there and your budget all play a part.
How much should I give the super?
Supers and resident managers receive $150–$300 on average, according to the same guides. CityRealty notes that some residents give as much as $500 and that longer-serving supers often receive more.
When should holiday tips be given?
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, ideally early to mid-December. Many buildings circulate a staff list in the first week of December.
Should I tip my nail tech, esthetician or hairstylist at the holidays?
If you see them regularly, guides suggest up to the cost of one visit or one session (Emily Post, Fidelity). Emily Post also lists a gift as an alternative. It is a thank-you, not an obligation.
What if my budget is tight this year?
Emily Post calls its amounts suggestions, “not rules.” Give what you comfortably can, start with the people you see most often, and add a handwritten note.
Does this calculator save what I type?
No. Everything stays in this browser tab and disappears when you close or reload it. Nothing you enter is stored or sent to ROW 89 or anyone else.
Sources
- Corcoran: Our Essential Holiday Tipping Guide (based on Brick Underground’s annual research) (Nov 2025)
- CityRealty: A Guide to Tipping Building Staff: Who, When, Why and How Much (Dec 4, 2025)
- Fidelity: Holiday tipping guide 2026 (building-staff ranges from Brick Underground, 2025) (Oct 1, 2026)
- Emily Post Institute: Holiday Tipping Guide (undated)
Ranges were read on October 25, 2026 and summarize what each guide reports; they are not ROW 89 recommendations or rules. ROW 89 is a beauty and aesthetics studio on East 89th Street, open 10am–8pm daily, serving Yorkville, Carnegie Hill and Lenox Hill.
Upper East Side · New York
Visit ROW 89 on East 89th Street
219A E 89th St
New York, NY 10128
One entrance: Nails & Lashes on the 1st floor, Aesthetics on the 2nd floor.
Hours: 10am–8pm daily.
Check holiday hours and current appointment availability with the team.
Both floors share the street entrance at 219A East 89th Street. Call if you need help choosing a booking.
Map & directions · Appointment FAQs