Should You Tip Roofers and How Much Do You Give?

You just had work done on your roof, and the roofers did a phenomenal job. The crew was punctual, courteous, and professional, and you want to show your appreciation for all of their hard work. For service jobs like roofing, it can be confusing to know whether or not to tip and, if so, how much money to offer. If you’re wondering whether you should tip your roofers, here’s what to know about tipping the crew, from how much to tip to alternative tipping options.

Do You Have to Tip Roofers?

Homeowners often wonder when and how much to tip contractors, and roofers are no exception. Long story short—you don’t have to tip your roofers. Their pay will fully and fairly cover their work. But if you feel the team is working hard and doing an exceptional job on installing your stunning new slate roof on a hot day or patching up a leaky roof, it’s a nice gesture to give a tip.

How Much Should You Tip Roofers?

Generally, $10 to $20 per roofer is a nice tip that will be warmly welcomed. For particularly challenging work or great results, you may tip $20 to $100 per roofer. Roofing projects cost about $350 to $1,500, so you can keep this in mind if you’d like to budget for tips when hiring local roofers, too.

Factors That Affect Tipping Cost

To help you figure out the ideal tipping strategy, consider the following:

• How satisfied are you with the job? If a roofer exceeds your expectations, you may tip them more than if they did a poor or average job. Of course, if you believe you’ve fallen victim to a roofing scam, you can forgo tipping.

• Did they leave any work behind that you’ll have to do or pay for? A thorough roofing job that makes your life easier rather than leads to more costs and projects warrants a higher tip.

• Did they give maintenance tips or instructions to prevent further issues? Roofers who go out of their way to educate you on how to keep your roof in optimal shape so you can avoid a high roof replacement cost likely deserve a more generous tip.

• How comfortable were you with the pro and their communication? Communication is almost as important as the actual roofing job and should definitely be considered in your tip calculation. 

• Would you hire them again or recommend them to a friend? If you know you’ll tell others about their roofing services and praise the quality of their work, a higher tip makes sense.

• How long and complicated was the job? You may want to increase your tip amount for complex, time-consuming roofing projects, such as roof replacements.

• Did they complete a rush job or surprise you with a finished product ahead of schedule? Roofers who are efficient and possess excellent time management skills may deserve a higher tip than those who cause delays.

Additional Tipping Etiquette

Here are a few other tips to keep in mind regarding tipping roofers:

• Time tips appropriately: If you decide to offer the crew a cash tip, you should give it to them after they complete the job. However, if you plan to buy breakfast or lunch for the crew, you can time the meals around their work schedule. This way, you won’t interrupt their workflow. 

• Be mindful of tipping frequency: For a job that takes just a few days, you might keep things simple and offer breakfast and coffee every morning. In the event project that takes two or three weeks, you may want to buy food for the crew on a weekly basis. It all depends on the length of the job and your comfort level.

• Know who to give tips to: If you plan to give the crew a cash tip, you can either hand it to each person directly or give it to the foreman on the job, letting them know how to disperse the tip. For food tips, you can bring the food to the workers or to the foreman to hand out to everyone. Another option is to bring out a cooler of drinks and a basket of food so they can snack throughout the day. 

• Remember, tips aren’t for everyone: You should only tip the roofers who are doing the physical labor so you don’t have to worry about the company owner, sales team, managers, or other workers not physically involved in the job. Tipping etiquette may be on your list of questions to ask roofing contractors when hiring them.

Alternatives to Tipping Roofers

Because tips are not expected and are an extra reward for roofers, cash is the most common option for tipping. But you might be surprised to learn that some of the most popular tips for roofers aren’t money at all.

• Many roofers say that some of their most memorable tips are actually in the form of food. You can easily show your appreciation by greeting roofers with hot coffee and donuts or pastries when they arrive at work in the morning. 

• Offer to take their food orders and buy them lunch for their break. 

• Pizza or other food delivery options will be a hit with the crew and may be less expensive in total for you if you are working with a limited budget.