Do You Tip A Locksmith? (Accurate, Unbiased Answer)

Being locked out of either our home or car can be a frustrating experience that can happen to us. When you find yourself locked out, one of the first things to do is call a locksmith. Once the locksmith arrives, they will open the locked door to your house, or the car locks to your vehicle quickly. While your locksmith is unlocking your car or house locks, you might wonder whether you should tip a locksmith or not. So, do you tip a locksmith?

If you’ve already called a locksmith and are waiting for them to arrive, or if they’re already busy unlocking your door, you’ll want to know whether or not you should tip them. If you do need to leave a tip, you’ll want to know how much you should leave too. Once you have the answer to ‘Do you tip a locksmith?’, which we discuss in the next section, you can enjoy your evening at home or get back on the road, leaving the whole unfortunate episode.

Answered: Do You Tip A Locksmith?

You do not need to tip a locksmith since they do not expect tips. Although it’s a service job and a local locksmith doesn’t enjoy coming out late at night or very early in the morning, it’s their job, and they’re paid a decent wage (or they own the business).

If you would like to leave your locksmith a tip for helping you out of a difficult circumstance, coming to your house in heavy snow, or for excellent lockout service, your technician will appreciate it.

Many locksmiths are self-employed small business owners who appreciate positive social media reviews more than the extra money from a tip. A good review of their locksmith company helps them stand out as one of the best locksmiths in town. Positive reviews are valuable because they help win future business, which brings them extra money. If you had a good experience with a self-employed locksmith, please leave a positive review on Google and Facebook.

How Much Should You Tip Your Locksmith?

Although tips are not expected and are not common, if you decide to leave a tip, then $5 to $10 will be appreciated.

How Much Do Locksmiths Make?

When deciding how much to tip, people are often curious about how much money the worker earns. So, how much do locksmiths make?

The average locksmith who works for a locksmith company makes $19.65 per hour in the United States. If a locksmith’s job is with a hospital, university, school system, government, or large private business, wages can start at minimum wage but reach $30 per hour or more. Generally, the greater a locksmith’s experience, the higher their salary is. Interestingly, only 15 states mandate a locksmith license to work as a locksmith. If you’re in one of the 35 states that don’t require a locksmith to be licensed, look out for locksmith scams!

Self-Employed Locksmith Wages

Self-employed locksmiths who own their own locksmith company can gross $3,000 to $10,000 per month. While not all of that is profit, a successful locksmith business can earn its owner a comfortable lifestyle.

Automotive Locksmith Salaries

The earnings for automotive locksmiths are reported as an annual salary and average $35,000 per year. Automotive locksmiths program a car’s transponder key, program replacement key fobs, cut new keys, replace the locking mechanism in cars, and solve car lockouts.

Are Locksmiths Expensive?

If you’re looking for a local locksmith, you’ll probably want to know which one is the cheapest, given that they tend to be expensive. Locksmiths are expensive because people are willing to pay a lot of money to get back into their car or house. No one wants to be stranded outside of their car or house. We would much rather be driving our car or resting inside of our home – not outside. A locksmith is not cheap, so research locksmith prices to avoid getting ripped off.

An emergency locksmith is even more expensive because they have to respond quickly at any hour of the day. Locksmiths that provide 24/7 services charge homeowners a high hourly rate for their services because running a 24/7 business is not cheap.

How Much Does A Locksmith Charge During Normal Business Hours?

If you lost your keys and locked yourself out during regular business hours, the average locksmith costs $60 to $120 to open your car or house, $75 to $130 to rekey locks, or $75 to $200 for new locks. The cost for replacement locks varies depending on the type of lock, whether drilling is required, and how many different keys you need. Other services include door repair, door installation, key duplicates, lock cylinder replacement, and deadbolt replacement,

Having your house rekeyed or installing entirely new locks is a good idea if your keys are lost or stolen. This is because it prevents burglars from using your lost keys to open your door.

If you’re just having the locksmith come to open your car or house, but you have a spare set of keys inside or elsewhere, the average cost should be $60 to $120.

How Much Does Emergency Locksmith Service Cost?

If you’ve locked yourself out of your home or car and it’s after business hours, an emergency locksmith is going to be more expensive. An after-hours locksmith service call will set you back $100 to $250. This is because your locksmith will charge you an ‘after hours’ or’ emergency’ fee. Still, it’s not such a bad price to get you into your house or car after dark. Don’t pay much more than this because people always want to take advantage of another person’s unfortunate situation. When you need a locksmith’s home services, make sure to ask for an estimate before they come out.