Notebook
A debossed notebook and pen
A good first-anniversary gift: useful every day and quietly branded. Debossing presses the logo into the cover, so it feels considered rather than promotional.
Branded notebooksLong service awards and work anniversary gifts
Short answer
Good long service awards grow with the years: something useful for a first anniversary, something better made at five, and something personal at ten and beyond. Whatever the year, mark the date on the day.
Nine ideas by year of service.
Filter by the milestone you’re planning for.
1 to 3 years
Insulated mug
An insulated mug for the desk
Something they’ll reach for every morning. A well-made insulated mug with a small engraved or printed mark is a simple thank-you for a first or second year.
Umbrella
A compact umbrella
Practical, used all year and easy to post to anyone working from home. Branding sits on the strap or the canopy edge, where it stays subtle.
Quarter-zip
A quarter-zip worth keeping
Heavier and better cut than the T-shirt from their first week. A small embroidered chest mark keeps it smart enough for the office and comfortable enough for the weekend.
5 years
Fleece jacket
A fleece jacket for five years
Five years is worth something they’ll wear outdoors. A well-made fleece with tonal embroidery lasts as long as the job has.
Laptop sleeve
A felt and leather laptop sleeve
Carried every working day and good for years. Felt with a leather flap feels like a step up from the kit they joined with.
10 years and more
Sherpa fleece
A premium sherpa fleece
For a decade or more, choose the warmest, best-made layer in the range, with the smallest possible mark. It says thank you without saying the company’s name.
Keepsake
A keepsake made for them
For the longest service, something nobody else has. Studio, our creative practice, designs bespoke products and packaging, so the award can be made for the person rather than picked from a range.
Explore Studio
Time off
Time, with the gift
At ten or twenty years, an extra day off or a team lunch in their honour can matter more than any object. Send the gift so it arrives the same day.
Managed
Need a gift for every year?
Tell us the milestones you mark, and we’ll put together a gift for each one.
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Know what you want and just need to place an order? Shop Select (opens Go Swag Select, a separate site)
What makes a good anniversary gift.
It matches the milestone. A first anniversary and a twentieth shouldn’t get the same box. Let the quality and the personal touch step up with the years.
It arrives on the day. An anniversary is a date, not a month. A gift that lands on the right day shows someone was paying attention.
It isn’t covered in logos. By year five, people have plenty of company kit. A tonal mark or no visible logo at all reads as a thank-you.
Someone says why. A line from their manager about what the years have meant makes the award. The object just carries it.
Rules and policies to check.
HMRC’s rules on long-service awards. HMRC sets out when a long-service award has to be reported and taxed. Read the GOV.UK guidance, and confirm the treatment with your payroll provider or tax adviser before you plan awards.
Long-service awards on GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
Running it every year.
Reaching everyone.
After a few years, the home address in an HR record is often out of date. A branded Claim Page lets each person share their size, preferences and current address, and we use that information to prepare and send their gift. We deliver to 180+ countries and send international orders DDP, so recipients have nothing to pay on arrival.
Claim Pages™Making it automatic.
Anniversaries come round every year for everyone, so treat them as a programme, not a scramble. Your approved collection can stay with us between sends, and the Go Swag API connects gifting to almost any system you use.
Milestone gifts
From our work
From our work for Cleo: a brown sweatshirt with the logo raised in the same colour. The kind of piece that works as an anniversary gift, because it doesn’t shout about the company.
Worth knowing
HMRC publishes guidance on when a long-service award has to be reported and taxed. Check it on GOV.UK before you plan a programme.
Source: GOV.UK (HM Revenue & Customs), “Expenses and benefits: long-service awards”, accessed 6 October 2026. Source 1
Questions about long service awards.
Are long service awards taxable?
They can be. HMRC has specific rules for long-service awards, set out in its GOV.UK guidance on expenses and benefits. Check them, and confirm with your payroll provider or tax adviser before you plan awards.
What is a good 10 year work anniversary gift?
Something personal and well made: a premium layer such as a sherpa fleece, a keepsake designed for them, or time off with a gift that lands on the day. Keep any branding small, and add a note about what the ten years have meant.
What is a good 5 year work anniversary gift?
A step up from everyday kit: a fleece jacket, a felt and leather laptop sleeve or a quarter-zip they’ll wear outside work. Quality matters more than size at five years.
How do we keep track of work anniversaries?
Start dates live in your HR system, so the dates are known a year ahead. Build the calendar once, agree a gift for each milestone, and keep the stock ready so nothing depends on someone remembering.
Sources
1 source
- 01Expenses and benefits: long-service awards (opens in a new tab) · GOV.UK (HM Revenue & Customs), accessed 6 October 2026.Back to reference 1
Want us to handle it?
Tell us who you are sending to and what you have in mind. We’ll help connect the products, the packaging and the delivery plan.
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Or call 0800 118 4047 or email hello@goswag.com.