Short answer: A corporate gift budget is headcount × per-person spend + 18% GST, with per-person bands from ₹150 (token) to ₹40,000 (executive). Use the calculator below to get an instant total, then check the gift tier it buys — Meru Gifting builds these numbers from 250+ institutional orders a year.
Updated September 2026.
How do I calculate a corporate gift budget?
Multiply your recipient count by a per-person amount, then add 18% GST on the goods value (GST input tax credit on gifts is blocked under Section 17(5)(h) of the CGST Act, so budget for it as a real cost, not a recoverable one). A 200-employee Diwali order at ₹1,000 per person comes to ₹2,00,000 plus ₹36,000 GST — ₹2,36,000 total. Add 3–5% for branding/mock-up costs if you're customising with your logo.
What per-person budget should we use for employees vs clients?
Employee gifts typically run token to standard (₹150–₹1,500 per person) for routine occasions and premium (₹1,500–₹5,000) for milestones like work anniversaries. Client gifts skew higher — standard to premium (₹500–₹5,000) — because relationship value justifies the spend, and leadership or key-account gifts move into the executive band (₹5,000–₹40,000). A useful anchor fact: employee gifts up to ₹5,000 per employee per financial year are exempt from tax as a perquisite under Income-tax Rule 3(7)(iv); anything above that is taxable in the employee's hands — confirm with your CA for your specific case.
Bamboo and Cork Notebook with Elastic Band₹250 · MOQ 50 branded
Stainless Steel Bottle with Strap 1000 ml₹350 · MOQ 50 branded
Bamboo Wireless Charger with Cable Organiser₹750 · MOQ 50 branded
Lekhan Personalised Leather Stationery Set₹2,999 · MOQ 50 branded
Manorath Wish-Fulfilling Metal Tree Showpiece₹12,999
Does the MOQ of 50 pieces change how we budget small teams?
Yes. Branded items carry a 50-piece minimum order quantity, so a 20-person team ordering logo'd gifts either pays for 50 units (and keeps 30 as spares/new-joiner stock) or chooses artisanal/unbranded pieces, which have a lower MOQ. Build this into your template: for headcounts under 50, budget at the 50-unit level unless you're going unbranded.
What planning template should procurement use for a recurring gift budget?
A simple table works: list Occasion, Recipient count, Per-person budget, GST (18%), Branding cost, Total, Order-by date. Repeat one row per festival or event across the year — Diwali, work anniversaries, client thank-yous, onboarding kits — and total the rows for an annual gifting line item. Most HR and admin teams we work with review this template once a year in Q1 and adjust per-person amounts for inflation.
Budget for the 50-piece MOQ even if headcount is lower. Standard band ₹500–₹1,500/person keeps unit economics sensible; unbranded artisanal pieces avoid the MOQ entirely.
Negotiate a blended rate across 2–3 SKUs to manage per-person budget while giving variety. Typical spend: ₹750–₹2,000/person for Diwali, ₹300–₹800 for smaller occasions.
Segment by tier — standard for broad staff, premium for managers, executive for leadership/key clients — rather than one flat per-person number across thousands of recipients.
How much should we add for branding, packaging and delivery?
Budget an extra 3–8% on top of the per-unit price for logo branding (already included in most of our quoted prices, but confirm per SKU), brand-colour packaging, and pan-India delivery to 25+ states. International shipping (USA, UK, UAE, Singapore, Australia, Canada, Sri Lanka, Thailand) adds separately-quoted freight — ask for a landed-cost quote if you're gifting overseas offices.
Can Meru Gifting help build this budget with us before we commit to a PO?
Yes — this is one of the most common requests we get. Send your headcount, occasion and target per-person budget on WhatsApp and we'll return a costed proposal with 2–3 product options per tier, GST calculated, and a realistic turnaround date, before you raise a purchase order.
Frequently asked questions
Is GST included in Meru Gifting's quoted prices?
Quoted prices are typically pre-GST; add 18% for your total budget. We issue GST invoices with every order.
What per-person budget is "normal" for Diwali gifts to employees?
Most companies we work with land between ₹500 and ₹1,500 per employee for Diwali, with premium tiers up to ₹5,000 for managers and leadership.
Do smaller companies get a discount on the 50-piece MOQ?
The MOQ is fixed for branded items, but per-unit pricing is already competitive at 50 pieces; unbranded artisanal items have a lower minimum for smaller headcounts.
How do we budget for a mixed employee-and-client gifting programme?
Keep separate line items — employee gifts sit in the ₹150-5,000/person exempt-perquisite range for tax purposes, while client gifts are budgeted purely as a marketing/relationship spend with no per-person tax cap.
Want a costed proposal before you raise a PO?
Share your headcount and budget on WhatsApp and we'll return product options with GST calculated within a day.
