The leaving collection calculator
How much should the whip-round ask for? Team size, occasion and a sense of how close people were — out comes a fair per-head suggestion and a realistic total. UK norms, no judgement.
Suggest per person
£3–£6.50
A realistic pot from 12 people: about £42 (not everyone gives — that's fine and normal)
The etiquette, briefly
- The suggested amount is a ceiling for the ask, not a floor for the giving — phrase it as “most people are putting in around £X, anything is lovely”.
- Individual amounts stay private. Always. The fastest way to poison a collection is a visible list of who gave what.
- One reminder before the deadline is fine; chasing individuals is not.
- Cash in an envelope still works — but a link people can pay by card from their desk reliably collects two to three times more, because nobody has change anymore.
How much should I put in a leaving collection in the UK?
Most UK offices settle between £3 and £5 per person for a colleague, £5 to £10 for someone you worked with closely, and more for a retirement after long service. Seniority of the giver matters less than closeness — give what feels honest, not what looks impressive.
Who should be asked to contribute?
Anyone who worked with the leaver enough to recognise them in the kitchen, across teams if needed. Contribution must feel optional — state the deadline once, never chase individuals publicly, and never reveal who gave or how much. Quiet opt-in keeps it a gift rather than a tax.
Should managers put in more than the team?
Convention says managers add a little more — typically 1.5 to 2 times the per-head suggestion — because the gesture reads as recognition from the role as well as the person. It's a custom, not a rule: a manager who barely worked with the leaver owes nothing extra.