Are You Tipping Too Much? This is How Much You Should Tip a Valet

By Sammi Caramela Published Mar 9, 10:30AM EST

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Are You Tipping Too Much? This is How Much You Should Tip a Valet — © AndreyPopov / Getty Images

A valet is a person who is employed by a facility, such as a hotel or restaurant, to park and retrieve customers’ vehicles for them. You’ve likely gone out to a fine establishment only to notice a long line of cars waiting for a valet to take over and park for you. This is often done to save customers from having to walk long distances or waste time finding parking. Not only that, but because a valet is in charge of parking your car for you and holds onto your keys in the process, they can usually accommodate a higher volume of cars in one lot.

Essentially, valet is done for the convenience of the customers, often serving as the first interaction between an establishment and its visitors. Many customers, however, wonder whether they should tip valet attendants. This is an especially common question since most customers don’t choose to have a valet handle their car. Rather, the service was simply a perk offered by the establishment.

Nevertheless, tipping your valet is a great way to express appreciation for these hard-working individuals. This article will detail how much is the ideal amount to tip a valet.

Should You Tip a Valet?

Close-up Of Valet's Hand Giving Car Key To Businessperson

A valet will typically take your keys to park and retrieve your car for you.

There are many things you should never tip on, but valet is not one of them. Whether you tip a valet is up to you, but many people feel it’s appropriate to at least hand over a dollar or two once they retrieve your car. This is a great way to express your appreciation for their service. A valet will often have to stand outside in the cold or inclement weather, and leaving a tip can certainly brighten their day.

How Much Should You Tip a Valet?

man sitting behind the wheel of the car gives money to another man

Tipping a valet is a great way to express gratitude.

Typically, leaving somewhere between $2 to $5 is the perfect tip for valet, especially when it comes to just parking. However, some valet attendants — such as those who work for hotels — also offer services like unloading and even carrying luggage. Generally, the more a valet does for you, the more money you should consider tipping them. Even so, you certainly shouldn’t leave more than you’re comfortable with.

How Much Does a Valet Make Per Year?

Valet attendants do not make a living salary.

The average valet attendant makes around $16 per hour, or a little over $32,000 per year. This is a far cry from a living wage in the U.S., which prompts many valet attendants to rely on their tips for income. Tipping just a few dollars can make all the difference to these professionals.

About the Author Sammi Caramela →

As a full-time freelance writer, Sammi started her writing journey while still in college, commuting to a part-time job as a business writer in Manhattan. After graduating in 2017 with a bachelor's in writing arts and minor in journalism, she became a full-time B2B journalist and — eventually — built her portfolio enough to pursue a freelance career.

Sammi has bylines on CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business News Daily, 24/7 Wall St., InspireMore, Suggest, and A-Z Animals, among others. While her main areas of expertise include business, finance, and entrepreneurship, Sammi also writes about lifestyle and mental health. In fact, she is the sole author of the column “Trauma! A PTSD Blog” on HealthyPlace.

In addition to her freelance writing career, Sammi is also a published author of a fiction novel called Some Place Like Home, a poetry collection called Mourning Moon, and multiple short stories in various anthologies. She is also the owner of Write of Passage on Substack and the host of the podcast Rite of Passage With Sammi Caramela.