Divide the cost of the gift by the people who have said yes, not by everyone you asked, and the collection won’t fall short. If there is no set gift, suggest a small amount: in a 2023 survey of UK office workers, 63% said they give between £3 and £10 to a workplace collection. Below are the steps, an email you can copy, a worked example and a calculator that does the sums.
How much should you put in a leaving collection?
There is no set amount for a leaving or farewell gift. In a 2023 survey of 1,000 UK office workers by the printing company Instantprint, 34% said they give £3 to £5 to a workplace collection and 29% give £6 to £10. About 1 in 10 give more than £10, and 19% don’t take part (instantprint).
Leaving presents were the occasion people were most willing to give for: over 78% said they would put in for one. People are also willing to give more for colleagues they are close to: 60% said they would pay more for someone they know better or like.
If you are buying a set gift, each person’s amount is the price divided by the number of people who have agreed to give. Dividing by everyone you asked leaves you short as soon as someone says no.
Keep it optional. Almost a third of the workers surveyed said they feel obliged to give because others do, and Alison Green of Ask a Manager advises that offices “should let people opt in or opt out without pressure” (Ask a Manager).
How to collect money for a leaving gift, step by step
- Decide whether you are buying a set gift or having a whip-round, where people give whatever they want. Only a set gift needs a set amount per person.
- Ask people privately whether they want to take part, and give a deadline. Make it clear that saying no is fine.
- Work out each person’s amount: the price divided by the number who said yes. You can round it up to a whole pound and spend the few pounds left over on the card or wrapping.
- Collect the money. Cash in an envelope is still the usual way: in the instantprint survey, 52% preferred giving cash, 19% a bank transfer, 6% PayPal and 3% an online collection tool. An online pot is easier when people work in different places.
- Keep the list of who has paid to yourself, so nobody is judged by what they gave.
- Buy the gift and the card, and tell everyone what you bought and what it cost.
Worked example: a £168 leaving gift
The team chooses a gift that costs £168. Fourteen people are asked to chip in, and ten say yes. This is what each person pays, depending on how the amount is worked out:
| How the amount is worked out | Each person pays | Collected from the ten who give |
|---|---|---|
| £168 ÷ 14 people asked | £12.00 | £120.00, so £48 short |
| £168 ÷ 10 who said yes | £16.80 | £168.00 |
| Two can give at most £5, the other eight share the rest | £5.00 for the two, £19.75 for the others | £168.00 |
Rounded up to £17 each, the ten collect £170, and the extra £2 goes towards the card. If two people can give at most £5, the other eight pay £19.75 each; the pay-what-you-can calculator works this out for any limits. If that is more than people want to give, choose a cheaper gift before anyone pays.
Try it with your own numbers. The calculator below starts with this example: £168 shared by the ten who said yes.
Common questions
Is it better to collect cash or use an online pot?
Either works. Cash in an envelope is still the most common way. An online pot or a bank transfer suits people who work in different places and gives you a record of who has paid. Some online pots charge a fee, so check before you choose one.
What should a leaving collection email or message say?
Who the gift is for, the amount (or that any amount is welcome), how to pay, the deadline, and that taking part is optional. Here is a template you can copy:
Hi all, [Name]’s last day is [date]. If you’d like to chip in for a leaving gift, please give [amount] by [deadline], in cash to me or by bank transfer. It’s completely optional. The card is on my desk if you’d like to sign it.
You can also create a link to share in the calculator and add it to the email, so everyone sees how the amount was worked out.
What if someone can’t afford the suggested amount?
Let them give what they can, or nothing, without asking why. With a set gift, set them to “At most” what they can give in the pay-what-you-can calculator, and the others share the difference equally.
What do we do with money left over?
Add it to the gift, buy a voucher, or give it to the leaver with the card. In the instantprint survey, a personal gift was the most popular choice for the money, followed by vouchers (15%) and giving the money itself (12%).
Should we collect for the boss’s Christmas or birthday gift?
Workplace etiquette says no. The first rule in Ask a Manager’s guide to office gifts is “Gifts should flow downward, not upward”, and it says employees “should feel free to opt out from any pressure to chip in for a gift to your boss”. If the team still wants to, keep it small and optional.
How much should I give for a retirement, wedding or baby collection?
The instantprint survey didn’t ask about amounts for each occasion, so use the same approach: the price divided by the people who said yes, or a small suggested amount. It did ask which collections people would give to: 75% would give for a retirement, 67% for a wedding, 54% for a new baby and 19% for a bereavement, compared with over 78% for a leaving present.
Does this work for a teacher’s gift or other group gifts?
Yes. For a class gift to a teacher, divide the price by the families who have said yes, and keep it optional in the same way. The group gift calculator also splits a gift by shares, for example when close family give more.