A farewell gift works when it marks the relationship rather than the departure. Pooled team contributions in India typically run ₹200-500 per person, producing a ₹2,000-8,000 gift depending on team size; individual farewell gifts run ₹500-2,000. The thing that consistently outlasts the object is the card — people keep signed farewell cards for years and forget what the gift was. Avoid anything branded with the company logo: they are leaving, and a departing employee does not want a mug advertising the place they just left.
Key Facts
- Pooled: ₹200-500 per person, producing a ₹2,000-8,000 gift.
- Individual: ₹500-2,000.
- The signed card outlasts the gift — do not skip it.
- Avoid company-logo items: they are leaving.
Pooled or individual
Pooled is the norm for a team farewell and lets you buy one genuinely good thing instead of six forgettable ones. ₹200-500 per contributor is the usual ask; anything higher starts to feel compulsory, particularly for junior team members who may not want to say no.
Individual gifts suit close working relationships and run ₹500-2,000. Here the personal note matters more than the price.
One practical rule: never publish who contributed what. It turns a gesture into an audit.
What lands
- A signed card. Consistently the thing people keep. Costs almost nothing and outlives every object on this list.
- Something genuinely useful they will carry into the next job — a good bottle, a bag, quality headphones.
- Something referencing an in-joke or a shared project. Specificity beats budget.
- A photo or team picture for a long-tenured colleague.
What to avoid
- Company-branded merchandise. They are leaving. A logo mug is a strange souvenir of a place someone has just chosen to exit.
- Anything referencing why they left, particularly if it was not entirely voluntary.
- Overly expensive gifts from a single person — it creates awkwardness rather than warmth.
- Generic desk ornaments. They now have to pack it.
Picks by budget
| Budget | Pick |
|---|---|
| ₹500-1,000 | Insulated bottle, unbranded, plus a signed card |
| ₹1,000-2,500 | Premium bottle or tumbler, name-engraved (their name, not the company) |
| ₹2,500-5,000 | Quality bag, good headphones, or a curated set |
| ₹5,000+ | Pooled team gift for a long-tenured colleague |
Name engraving is worth doing here specifically because it marks the person rather than the employer — which is exactly the right signal for a farewell.
Ordering in bulk from HYV
Ordering in bulk from HYV
HYV manufactures insulated stainless steel drinkware in India — its own range and production for other brands — at 50,000+ pieces per month, certified to BIS IS 17526:2021. Over 500 corporate orders fulfilled.
MOQ from 25 units · 7-14 day turnaround · GST invoice · PAN India delivery. Co-branded orders, laser logo or name engraving on 18/8 SS 304 steel, 11 standard colourways with Pantone matching above 100 units, branded gift boxes, and contract manufacturing at volume.
Free branding mockup within 24 hours, before you spend anything. Request a free mockup →
Budget bands are easier to compare side by side than one at a time. The complete corporate gifting guide for India covers what every band from under ₹300 to above ₹2,500 actually buys, alongside lead times, MOQs, GST and the personalisation costs that decide the real per-head figure.
The commercial shape of a corporate order
| Order size | Typical unit price | Lead time | Customisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25–100 | ₹1,200–2,000 | 7–14 days | Laser engraving |
| 100–500 | ₹1,000–1,700 | 12–18 days | Engraving or UV print |
Prices are indicative for insulated steel and move with specification, colourway and packaging. Lead times quoted in August do not hold in October — the fortnight before Diwali is the worst time to discover that.
For a first order, ask for a physical sample with your branding on it before committing to the full quantity. Any supplier confident in their engraving will agree, and seeing your logo on the actual product settles more arguments internally than a rendering ever will.
Where corporate gifting programmes usually go wrong
- Budgeting GST as recoverable. It generally is not on gifts — this alone can blow a per-head budget by more than a tenth.
- Ordering late. Personalisation is a production step, and the festive fortnight is not the time to discover it.
- Collecting addresses after ordering. For a distributed team this is the longest pole and it is nearly always started too late.
- Over-branding. The gift becomes a uniform, and it stays at the desk it was handed out at.
- Ignoring the ₹5,000 aggregate. It is annual and cumulative across every gift in kind, not per occasion.
What finance will ask you
Three questions come back every time, so it is worth having the answers before the conversation.
- "Can we claim the GST back?" Generally no — input tax credit is not available on goods disposed of by way of gift. Budget GST-inclusive.
- "Is this taxable for the employee?" Gifts in kind up to ₹5,000 per employee per financial year are generally not treated as a taxable perquisite; anything above that is added to taxable salary. The threshold is annual across all gifts in kind.
- "What rate applies?" 18% across the board — insulated steel is HSN 9617, glass 7010 and PET 3923, all at 18% since September 2025. Mixed hampers no longer change the rate.
This is general information from a supplier, not tax advice — confirm the treatment with your own finance team, whose reading of your circumstances is the one that counts.
More questions
What is the minimum order for customised corporate drinkware?
Commonly 25 units for laser engraving on stock products, with turnaround around 7–14 days at that volume. Larger runs of 100–500 typically move to 12–18 days as production and colour matching scale.
Can we claim GST input credit on corporate gifts?
Generally no — input tax credit is not available on goods disposed of by way of gift. Budget GST-inclusive. Insulated steel drinkware sits under HSN 9617 at 18%, and glass and PET are also 18%, so the rate no longer varies with what goes in a hamper.
How much should a corporate gift cost per person?
₹800 to ₹1,500 is the band where a gift reads as considered without creating an obligation to reciprocate. Client gifting typically runs higher, at ₹1,500 to ₹3,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should a farewell gift cost?
₹200-500 per person for a pooled team gift (producing ₹2,000-8,000 total), or ₹500-2,000 for an individual gift.
What is a good farewell gift for someone leaving?
Something useful they will carry into the next job — a good bottle, bag or headphones — plus a signed card. Avoid company-branded items; they are leaving.
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