How much to spend on a colleague's birthday gift
Workplace gifts sit at the low, budget-conscious end on purpose. The calculator below is already set to colleague. It reflects the standard Australian office convention of something small and specific, or a contribution to a group gift, rather than anything that competes with what you'd give family or close friends.
Recommended range
$20 to $35 is a comfortable range
Workplace gifts are usually the most budget-conscious category, and Australian office norms reflect that: something small and specific, or a contribution to a group gift, is the standard. Nobody expects a colleague gift to compete with what you'd give family or close friends.
Ranges are a social norm, not a rule. The right amount is the one that does not strain you.
Now you know how much. Want to know what?
Add them to Birthday Backup and get three gift ideas within their budget, sent 14 days before their birthday, or instantly whenever you ask.
Back up your first birthdayQuestions
What if the office is doing a group gift instead?
Treat the range as your contribution to the group total, not a separate individual gift on top of it.
Does it matter how close I am to this colleague?
A little. The closeness setting still moves you within the range, but the ceiling stays modest regardless, since that is the workplace norm.