By Jessica Yun
When it comes to tipping, one Australian state outshines the others for generosity. Tasmanians take the crown for being Australia’s most generous tippers, while NSW folk are the least generous.
The typical Australian tip is $16.06, but Tasmanians are more generous than most, leaving a $23 tip on average, while those in NSW leave an average tip of $11, according to data from payments platform Zeller.
NSW is not the most generous state when it comes to tipping - nor is it the most frequent.Credit: Kate Geraghty
Victorians appear to be more generous, tipping an average $18, while South Australians leave $12.
Western Australians are the second-most generous state of tippers at $20, followed by Queensland and Victoria at $18. Northern Territory and NSW residents tip $11 on average and Canberrans leave $7 on top of their bill.
Zeller chief and co-founder Ben Pfisterer said while there were no definitive reasons some states tended to tip more, tip values were likely linked to hospitality culture and customer service.
“Ultimately, as a country, we’re not an implied tipping country, or a culture where everyone has to tip; it is fundamentally still linked to great service,” Pfisterer said.
“It’s certainly interesting to see the stats coming through that there is a clear discrepancy between different states.”
He was unsurprised to see Tasmania “punching above their weight” through its world-class produce and local economy built upon travel and hospitality, while Victoria’s higher average tip compared with NSW would likely “put a bit of fuel on the fire” of the Sydney-Melbourne rivalry.
More broadly, Australians have been more willing to spend following the pandemic, when people were starved of face-to-face interaction. “Just to be able to give that extra level of human service – as good as technology is, you still need that element to be absolutely succeeding,” Pfisterer said.
Mobile table ordering app me&u founder Stevan Premutico said late last year that tipping through the app shot up 27.5 per cent after lockdowns ended.
Hospitality workers who are rostered on after 10pm in the latter half of the week also get the highest tips, with the average value jumping to as high as $46.
More broadly, Australians tend to tip most generously on Tuesdays ($17 on average), with Monday being the lowest day for tips ($13).
“If you’re going to take a job in a service-based industry, make sure you avoid working on Monday,” Pfisterer joked. “Well, not seriously, but obviously there is some correlation coming out of the weekend.”
Aside from hospitality, Australians also leave significant tips for charities, beauticians, retailers, and travel-related businesses.
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