How To Politely Decline Money

There are a lot of reasons why someone could decide to decline a monetary gift. You may think that the person that wants to give you the money wants something else in return so, for you to avoid yourself from owing anything to him or her, you decide to play it safe and just decline the offer.

No matter the reasons there are ways to make sure your decline of money is polite but firm.

State the fact that you neither need the money nor feel comfortable taking money for minor tasks or small favors. You can do this by saying: “Thanks for the kindness but I don’t need any monetary help nor do I feel well taking money from others”.

Use Direct and Clear Statements

One of the ways that you can use to politely decline the money that is offered to you is through direct communication and you may do this by saying:

“I don’t feel comfortable accepting your money but I do appreciate the fact that you are being so nice to me. Thank you but I can’ take it!”

If the person that you interact with insists on giving you the money, you may also choose to put on a smile and walk away while maintaining eye contact with him or her for a couple of seconds before you leave him or her.

Apart from that, you may also choose to demand something else apart from the money itself such as having a beer with them at a bar located nearby you or hanging out together to watch a movie just in case you are not comfortable with accepting their donation in cash.

It’s normal for you to feel this way and accepting it in a form that is acceptable to you might just be the solution to solve this kind of problem.

Next, you should always remain calm when dealing with these kinds of situations to avoid looking anxious which would make the person that wants to give you the money think that you might want to accept it but perhaps, you’re too shy to do it.

However, just in case you don’t want to accept any form of donations from that person then you may say some things like:

“Thank you for your generosity but I think I don’t need any money from you and if you want to help me, start by stop offering me these kinds of things to me in the future!”

When you say these kinds of things to people, most of them would respect your decision and move on with their life however if they keep on offering you money despite the things that you said to them then it’s best to stay away from that person as he or she failed to respect your decision, time and privacy.

Polite Example Phrases

Some of the more polite phrases that you can utilize to help you decline money from people are by saying something like:

“I do appreciate your concern about me but I don’t think I need any help from you currently.”

This will help you to give them an idea that you do appreciate their donation but at the same time would not like to accept it due to some reasons that only you could explain.

Apart from that, you will also need to highlight the reason why you don’t want to receive the money given by these people by stating it together in one sentence.

For example, if you decide not to receive their money because you don’t want to be involved in bribery then you should explain it to them properly. Just in case you are involved in this type of situation then you may say:

“I don’t think it’s a wise idea for me to be getting my hands dirty by accepting your money!”

or

“I do appreciate your concern about me but I don’t think I need it!”

Be Calm but Firm

It’s also important for you to keep in mind that you should always watch your intonation as it has the potential to change the whole idea of how you intend to say the things that you want to say.

An angry intonation would make people think that you can easily be irritated by simple words while a calm and peaceful intonation would more likely be able to conceal the emotions that you might have inside of you.

Other examples of phrases that you may use to decline money offered by others to you also include things like:

“Thank you for the offer but I did it sincerely and I do not expect to get any return from you.”

and

“I’m sure that you would do the same thing for me if you were in my place so I don’t think I deserved to accept this.”

If they insist on giving you the money then you should try not to raise your voice or get angry towards that person and instead try your best to take a deep breath and respond by saying:

“I’d love to but I’m simply not comfortable accepting money from people. It’s just the way I am!”

Most of the time, people would not get offended or hurt in any way when you decline their offer by saying these phrases except if you are in a case where you are declining a bribe instead of a sincere donation. It’s highly recommended that you get some help from your trusted group of people within your network to help you get through if you are having this kind of situation in your life.

You should also consider reporting this to the authorities to help you avoid any types of baseless accusations by your enemies that would most likely want to frame you in the future. Next, you may also say:

“Thank you but I do have a strict no money gift policy that I will need to follow but feel free to chat with me later if you like.”

It’s a nice way to avoid people from judging you simply because you don’t want to receive any form of donation that makes you uncomfortable.

Example Scenarios

Scenario 1:

In the first case, you did a favor for your friend by helping him to move out from his apartment to his new house last week, and to give you a token of appreciation, he decided to give you a couple of dollars to repay your kindness.

However, the sweet the offer may be, for some reason, you are not comfortable accepting the money directly from him like that so you decided to decline his offer by saying:

“Thank you for this money but I did it sincerely because I wanted to help you. Besides, I’m not comfortable accepting any money gift from people so perhaps you could treat me to some desserts instead later on.”

But he kept on insisting that you accept the money despite your efforts to decline the offer. In this case, try politely declining for the second time and if he still keeps on insisting that you take the money then you should just walk away from the conversation instead with a smile to avoid looking like you’re mad at them.

Often it is family members who feel obligated to hand over a monetary gift in return for a helping hand. You can politely turn the situation if you for example tell them, that you will put the money in your child’s piggy bank.

However, only do this if you know that the family member will not aggravate any financial issues by doing so. otherwise, decline as usual.

Scenario 2:

In the second case, you are receiving countless attempts to bribe you in return for doing something that only you have the power and authority to do so. It’s best to walk away from the first time that they tried to bribe you as in many cases these types of people would be quite dangerous for you to deal with.

In these cases, it’s even more important to stay calm, firm and to get out of the zone immediately.

Most people would accept the fact that you don’t want to receive any form of gifts that have the potential to cause you trouble such as dogs or big things that may require a huge space to place. But some people would not be able to understand the reason why you would decline their donations especially if it’s given in cash to you.

However, you should always try to explain to them clearly why you don’t want to accept it and you may use excuses such as the workplace policy or simply because you are not comfortable with it to avoid receiving the money from them.

Always try to stay calm no matter what happens so that you will be able to get your way out of this problem smoothly and without ruining the current image and reputation that you might have.

In many cases, people would just move on and respect your decision to not accept the money as they understand that it may cause you to get uncomfortable at times.