Should You Tip Shed Installers, and How Much?

Written by Jim Belt in How Much To Tip

Knowing when to tip for a service can be tricky, especially for a contracting job, such as shed installation. This task can take several hours or even days depending on the size of your shed, and many owners want to tip the installers for a job well done but are unsure if it's necessary or appropriate.

It is unnecessary to tip shed installers as they are appropriately compensated for their work through their employers or the flat rate you pay for their service. Most shed installers do not expect a tip for their services, but you are free to tip them if you prefer.

To ensure you are as professional and appreciative of the services provided by your shed installers, we'll discuss when it is and isn't appropriate to tip them, how much they expect, and how much is recommended.

Tipping Customs

Tipping not customary $ 20

Should You Tip Shed Installers?

No, it is not necessary or ever expected of a private employer or consumer to tip their shed installers.

The individuals who are typically hired to install a shed are either professionally trained and certified contractors or employed through a large home improvement retail company, such as Home Depot or Lowes.

Because of their place of employment, shed installers don't fall under the category of "tipped employees." This typically includes occupations like waitresses/waiters, delivery or taxi drivers, bartenders, among several other similar occupations, where employees regularly receive more than $30 per month in tips.

As a result, their employer only needs to pay them $2.13 per hour in direct wages as long as this, combined with their tips, equals the state's minimum wage. Therefore, tipped employees rely on tips for their income because they are otherwise usually paid below the minimum wage.

Shed installers are always paid at least minimum wage, if not more, depending on their skill level and employer. Therefore, they are sufficiently compensated for their work as it is either reflected in their hourly rate or the agreed-upon price you pay for the overall job.

Whether you should or shouldn't tip them is entirely up to the individual, but ultimately, it is not common practice to tip shed installers, and you shouldn't feel obligated to do so.

That being said, many consumers and private employers will tip their shed installers just to show their appreciation for a job well done. Others will tip when they believe the installers have gone above and beyond their expectations or did some extra work for no additional charge.

In these cases, it is acceptable to tip to acknowledge their extra work if you're comfortable with it, and it is recommended the amount be at least $20 per installer.

When Not to Tip

Whether or not you are comfortable with tipping your shed installers is entirely up to you. The decision to add to their base wages with a tip is personal and never expected in this scenario. However, there are circumstances where it is not advisable to tip your shed installers.

Tip Infringes on Company Policy

Some companies that take great pride in how much they pay their employees. To demonstrate this, they'll create a no-tipping business model where employees are prohibited to accept tips.

If this is the case with the company that employs your shed installers, it is unacceptable to tip them. It is possible the company has this policy that you are unaware of when you offer the tip, which is an honest mistake.

However, if you are fully aware of their business model, don't put the installers through an uncomfortable situation by offering them a tip you know they have to refuse or could risk their employment.

Once tipped, it is true that money becomes the property of the employee, and their employer can't take it from them. But they can fire them for breaking company policy, and you don't want to be the cause of that.

Job Was Poorly Executed

This is a general rule for tipping in any situation. Regardless of social norms, you are never required to tip anyone for their services. However, many do because it is socially acceptable, or they want to show their appreciation.

That being said, if you feel that your shed installers provided poor service, you absolutely should not tip them. You are legally required to pay them for the service they performed, but you don't owe them a cent more, especially if you feel they haven't met your expectations.

This could include:

If any of these apply to your shed installation, pay the agreed-upon price for the service and refrain from tipping.

Installer Refuses to Accept

Another general rule of tipping is to be considerate of the employee, particularly when they respectfully decline your offer.

If you feel that your shed installers did such a fantastic job that they more than earned a tip, be conscious that for whatever reason, they might refuse to accept.

Just like you are not legally obligated to tip employees, they are not legally obligated to take your extra money. Some might refuse because it complicates the workplace, or they didn't enjoy the environment. Regardless, it is best to be polite and professional in this situation and not tip them.

If you are truly driven to show your appreciation in some form, many individuals will provide their shed installers with food and refreshments when they're on the job, like coffee and doughnuts in the morning or beer after a long, hard day's work.

Many appreciate the sentiment here and the fact that they can more indirectly accept or decline the offerings at their leisure.

What Shed Installers Think About Tips

Although tipping is typically appreciated and accepted by employees, surveys have shown that shed installer companies and their crews really only expect tips about [6% of the time](https://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/how-much-should-you-tip-general-contractors/#:~:text=Contractors%2Fremodelers&text=And in general%2C the answer,tips for top-notch service.) when they're on the job. Additionally, only about 18% actually receive tips for their above and beyond work.

So, ultimately, shed installers don't expect to receive a tip for their work because they are typically paid sufficiently by their company, and it is not a common practice for their occupation.

What Do Shed Installers Actually Make?

The overarching argument for why it isn't necessary to tip shed installers is because of their hourly or yearly pay.

As we said previously, shed installers are typically part of a larger contractor company that receives payment either through an hourly rate or a particular job's overall cost. How much they earn greatly differs depending on their experience level, the company they work for, and their state.

On a national scale, the average salary for shed installation jobs is [$36,419 /year](https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Jobs/Shed-Installer#:~:text=How Much Do Shed Installer Jobs Pay per Year%3F&text=%2427%2C000 is the 25th percentile,Salaries below this are outliers.&text=%2464%2C000 is the 90th percentile.). However, if you're looking more specifically at contractors, then the average hourly pay for a general contractor is $30.05, with an annual salary of $72,784/ year.

These are very generalized figures that consider contractors and shed installations nationwide, but let's look at a more specific example, like Tuff Shed. This is a highly reputable company that manufactures and installs some of the most exceptional sheds you could find.

Shed installers at Tuff Shed are likely to be considered general "laborers," and so, they earn anywhere from $16.33 to $16.79 per hour and have an average yearly salary of $29,394.

As you can see, the general contractors will usually make much more than those hired to only install sheds at a more specific company. But again, this comes down purely to experience and employer.

Final Thoughts

Although we sympathize with the internal struggle regarding whether you should tip your shed installer, we recommend you refrain from tipping unless you are utterly ecstatic with their work and your experience.

Shed installers do not rely on tips to supplement their wages and so they do not expect them on a job, and you are not required to provide them. If you do tip, remember to add at least $20 either to the job's overall cost or to each installer to courteously show your gratitude.

Published: 15-04-2021