USPS logo LINK — USPS employee news Printable

Holiday ethics guidelines

There are rules for giving, receiving gifts

Do you know the Postal Service’s rules for accepting gifts from co-workers or customers?

The USPS Ethics Office wants to remind employees of the rules on the giving and receiving of holiday gifts, whether from colleagues or outside sources.

Gifts between employees

An employee may give their manager a noncash gift valued at $10 or less.

Managers have no limits on what they can give their employees but should consider how gifts might affect the workplace environment.

There are no limits on gifts between co-workers receiving the same or less pay.

Gifts from customers

Employees may not accept cash (whether physical or digital, as in Venmo) or cash equivalents, such as Mastercard, American Express or Visa gift cards.

Employees may accept noncash gifts valued at $20 or less, provided the total value of gifts received from the same customer does not exceed $50 in a calendar year.

Always consider the appearance of accepting a gift before agreeing to take it and never solicit or coerce a gift from a customer.

If you have questions, call the ethics helpline at 202-268-6346 or email ethics.help@usps.gov.