A Patriot’s Gift Guide

For employees of the federal government, there’s more than the rules of etiquette at stake.

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By Sara Pepitone

December 17, 2014 at 10:01 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

The pressure to find the right gift is an inescapable part of holidays. What to give? Where to buy? How much to spend? Fortunately, for U.S. government employees, specifically those who are shopping for colleagues who have more take-home pay than they do, that last question is moot. According to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (Preventing Conflicts of Interest in the Executive Branch!), $10 or less is the approved spend—but only as an exception to a standing rule that prohibits giving gifts to one's betters.

“On an occasional basis (including for a birthday or annual holiday), an employee may give, and the official superior (or person receiving more pay than the employee) may accept: gifts, other than cash, having a market value of $10 or less per occasion,” says Subpart C of 5 C.F.R. part 2635 . On ordinary days, however: