{"id":51632,"date":"2025-10-16T14:05:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T14:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c?p=51632"},"modified":"2025-10-16T14:06:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T14:06:02","slug":"pet-sitting-rates-how-much-should-i-charge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/pet-sitting-rates-how-much-should-i-charge\/","title":{"rendered":"How much should I charge for pet sitting?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you&rsquo;re just starting out in the pet sitter business or have been at it a long time, figuring out your pet sitter rates isn&rsquo;t easy, as there are so many factors that can affect your rate. However, one thing holds true across the board: The amount of time you spend caring for a pet is directly linked to what you should be paid.&nbsp;<\/p><p>&ldquo;When it comes to setting pet sitting rates, it&rsquo;s reasonable to expect your compensation to reflect the time and energy necessary to provide pets the level of care any owner would want them to have,&rdquo; says Dr. Jo Myers, a Colorado-based veterinarian.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><p>Here, Myers and others break down setting pet sitting rates. <\/p><div class=\"wp-block-custom-dynamic-list key-takeaways-block\"><h3>Key takeaways<\/h3><div class=\"key-takeaways-container\"><ul><li>Setting pet sitting rates involves evaluating your time, services, and expenses while ensuring your pay reflects the quality of care provided. <\/li><li>Factors such as location, number and type of animals, specific duties and your experience or certifications can all impact what you should charge. <\/li><li>Ultimately, sticking to fair, well-calculated rates ensures both sustainable income and professional respect in the pet care industry.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-much-should-i-charge-for-pet-sitting\" data-toc-id=\"3e4c15d6\">How much should I charge for pet sitting?<\/h2><p>According to Collin Funkhouser, a professional pet sitter and host of the podcast, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.petsitterconfessional.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pet Sitter Confessional<\/a>, the first thing you should do when starting out as a professional pet sitter is figure out what you need to earn a living. &ldquo;Do your monthly budget first, then break down the cost per services and bookings,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;and don&rsquo;t forget to include things like taxes and business expenses.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p><p>Next, Funkhouser adds, you&rsquo;ll need to decide on what you will, and won&rsquo;t, be willing to do. &ldquo;Whatever request you get from a potential client, make sure to make it worth your time financially, before you say yes.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p><p>Finally, make sure your rates match up with the work you&rsquo;re doing. In other words, if a pet requires extra time and care, you should charge more. <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-do-i-determine-my-hourly-pet-sitting-rate\" data-toc-id=\"8e69bb83\">How do I determine my hourly pet sitting rate?<\/h2><p>Wondering what else will dictate what you charge per hour? Experts offer tips and advice for what factors to take into account when setting pet sitting rates.<\/p><ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Your location and the average rates in your area.<\/li><li>Time spent caring for pet(s).<\/li><li>Number of animals.<\/li><li>Type of animal(s).<\/li><li>Duties and tasks.<\/li><li>Pet sitting insurance coverage.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Experience and reputation.<\/li><\/ol><p>Here&rsquo;s a breakdown of each:<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-your-location-and-average-pet-sitter-rates-per-hour-in-your-area\">1. Your location and average pet sitter rates per hour in your area<\/h3><p>According to Funkhouser, if you live in an area with a higher cost of living, you can command a higher rate for pet sitting than if you&rsquo;re in an area with a lower cost of living. While a number of factors should contribute to your pet sitting rates, it&rsquo;s always a good idea to know what people nearby are charging and paying for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/pet-sitting-jobs\">pet sitting jobs<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Here are some examples of posted pet sitting rates based on location, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\">recent Care.com data<\/a><\/p><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-current-posted-pet-sitting-rates-per-hour-in-top-u-s-cities\">Current posted pet sitting rates per hour in top U.S. cities*<\/h4><figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-regular\"><table><thead><tr><th><strong>City, State<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Hourly Pet Sitter Rate<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/pet-sitters\/atlanta-ga\">Atlanta, Georgia<\/a><\/td><td>$14.25\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/pet-sitters\/brooklyn-ny\">Brooklyn, New York<\/a><\/td><td>$18.77hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/pet-sitters\/charlotte-nc\">Charlotte, North Carolina<\/a><\/td><td>$13.47\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/pet-sitters\/chicago-il\">Chicago, Illinois<\/a><\/td><td>$17.90\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/pet-sitters\/denver-co\">Denver, Colorado<\/a><\/td><td>$19.35\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/pet-sitters\/las-vegas-nv\">Las Vegas, Nevada<\/a><\/td><td>$15.90\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/pet-sitters\/los-angeles-ca\">Los Angeles, California<\/a><\/td><td>$19.93\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/pet-sitters\/minneapolis-mn\">Minneapolis, Minnesota<\/a><\/td><td>$17.42\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/pet-sitters\/philadelphia-pa\">Philadelphia, Pennsylvania<\/a><\/td><td>$14.51\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/pet-sitters\/phoenix-az\">Phoenix, Arizona<\/a><\/td><td>$16.94\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/pet-sitters\/portland-or\">Portland, Oregon<\/a><\/td><td>$18.55\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/pet-sitters\/san-antonio-tx\">San Antonio, Texas<\/a><\/td><td>$12.71\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/pet-sitters\/seattle-wa\">Seattle, Washington<\/a><\/td><td>$21.52\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/pet-sitters\/tampa-fl\">Tampa, Florida<\/a><\/td><td>$15.30\/hr<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>*Based on average posted starting rates from pet sitters listed on Care.com, as of October 16, 2025.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><p><\/p><p>If you&rsquo;re looking for a concrete hourly rate, an option is to look at what five to ten <a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/pet-care\">pet sitters in your vicinity<\/a> are charging and take the average or &ldquo;slightly above the average,&rdquo; according to Funkhouser. &ldquo;Unfortunately, what this misses is the fact that the majority of pet sitters are vastly under-charging for their services,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;So by taking the average, you could be undercharging.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote is-style-default\"><blockquote><p>&ldquo;The majority of pet sitters are vastly under-charging for their services.&rdquo;<\/p><cite>&mdash; Collin Funkhouser, professional pet sitter<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-time-spent-caring-for-pet-s\">2. Time spent caring for pet(s)<\/h3><p>The time involved in caring for a pet should help dictate what you charge, says Allison Smith, owner of the pet sitting company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.waggerspetsitting.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Waggers<\/a> in North Carolina. &ldquo;Whether it&rsquo;s a potty break, one-hour walk or overnight stay, each job correlates to time,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;And if you&rsquo;re pet sitting on a holiday, there should be a slight increase for services rendered that day.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Myers adds that it&rsquo;s not unreasonable to charge more for pets who require you spend more time with them. &ldquo;If pets require medication or have other time-consuming special needs, pet owners should expect to pay more for that,&rdquo; she says, adding that even if it&rsquo;s not something particularly critical, like a kitten who craves lots of social contact and interaction, &ldquo;time is still money.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote is-style-default\"><blockquote><p>&ldquo;If pets require medication or have other time consuming special needs, pet owners should expect to pay more for that.&rdquo;<\/p><cite>&mdash; Dr. Jo Myers, veterinarian<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-number-of-animals\">3. Number of animals<\/h3><p>Depending on the number of animals and what their care entails, you <em>may<\/em> be able to charge a higher rate. However, that&rsquo;s not a hard and fast rule. &ldquo;If we&rsquo;re talking about caring for fish in only one tank, the amount of time and energy necessary to care for one fish or twenty is the same,&rdquo; Myers says. &ldquo;Similarly, two or even three cats is really not much more work than one, as long as no one has special needs.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p><p>Myers notes that even two dogs <em>can<\/em> be as simple as one if the &ldquo;conditions are right.&rdquo; &ldquo;After all, they might play with each other while they&rsquo;re home alone, decreasing the amount of exercise they need when the sitter visits,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;Likewise, they can be walked together. But once you start taking care of three or more dogs, there&rsquo;s no getting around the fact that it&rsquo;s more work and, in turn, you should charge a higher rate.&rdquo;<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote is-style-default\"><blockquote><p>&ldquo;Once you start taking care of three or more dogs, there&rsquo;s no getting around the fact that it&rsquo;s more work.&rdquo;<\/p><cite>&mdash; Dr. Jo Myers<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-type-of-animal-s\">4. Type of animal(s)<\/h3><p>Experts agree that, when it comes to pet sitting, dogs are generally the most high maintenance of the bunch, with &ldquo;bigger dogs being more work than smaller dogs,&rdquo; according to Myers.&nbsp;<\/p><p>&ldquo;Providing care for some types of pets is a lot more work than others, so it&rsquo;s completely appropriate to charge more for different types of animals,&rdquo; Myers says. &ldquo;It takes a lot more time and energy to try to wear out an interminable fetch addict than it does to make sure a senior cat who sleeps 90% of the time still has food, water and a clean litter box.&rdquo;<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-duties-and-tasks\">5. Duties and tasks<\/h3><p>The types of tasks a pet owner wants accomplished while they&rsquo;re gone should also affect what you charge. &ldquo;If an owner wants you to come in and feed the dogs and cats and leave, that&rsquo;s less work than someone who wants you to stay at the house to keep their pets company for part of, or all of, the day, and pay should reflect that,&rdquo; says Dr. Gary Richter, veterinarian, Medical Director of Holistic Veterinary Care, in Oakland, California, and founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimatepetnutrition.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ultimate Pet Nutrition<\/a>. &ldquo;On that same note, it&rsquo;s more work for sitters to take a dog out for a really long hike every day, compared to a quick jaunt around the block.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Here are other duties that can increase your rate, according to Funkhouser:<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Administering medication.<\/li><li>Special food preparation.<\/li><li>Caring for pets on palliative care.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul><p>If a pet owner asks you to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/house-sitting-rates\/\">house sit<\/a> while caring for their pet, that can increase your rate, as well. Funkhouser notes that services such as overnight house sitting are usually on a &ldquo;per-hour rate to make it worth your time,&rdquo; but ultimately, setting a flat or per-hour rate is up to you.&nbsp;<\/p><p>&ldquo;When I&rsquo;ve stayed at clients&rsquo; homes while they&rsquo;re away, we&rsquo;ve always decided on a per-day rate beforehand,&rdquo; says Nancy Carson, a pet sitter in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. &ldquo;When broken down by working hours, it&rsquo;s higher than my normal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/how-much-money-do-dog-walkers-make\">dog walking<\/a> or pet sitting rate.&rdquo;<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-6-pet-sitting-insurance-coverage\">6. Pet sitting insurance coverage<\/h3><p>According to Smith, having pet sitting insurance is an important protection for both you and your clients &mdash; and being able to show proof of coverage can also be worthy of charging a higher rate.<\/p><p>Not sure where to start with insurance? Here&rsquo;s everything you need to know on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/pet-sitting-insurance\">pet sitting insurance<\/a> and its benefits, policies and costs.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-experience-and-reputation\">7. Experience and reputation<\/h3><p>Another factor worthy of boosting your rate? A professional certification. Getting <a href=\"https:\/\/petsitters.org\/page\/NAPPSUniversity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">certified as a pet sitter<\/a> from a reputable organization, such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/petsitters.org\/page\/NAPPSUniversity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Association of Professional Pet Sitters<\/a> (NAPPS) or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.petsit.com\/certification\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pet Sitters International<\/a> (PSI), will show clients that you&rsquo;re serious about your work and are committed to your field.<\/p><p>&ldquo;As you improve your skills, you&rsquo;ll be able to charge higher prices,&rdquo; says Funkhouser. &ldquo;Additionally, you can also niche into a specific breed or type of care, which means you&rsquo;ll also be able to charge a premium.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote is-style-default\"><blockquote><p>&ldquo;Stick to your policies, prices and boundaries, and you&rsquo;ll be running your pet care business, as opposed to your clients.&rdquo;<\/p><cite>&mdash; Collin Funkhouser<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-bottom-line-on-setting-a-pet-sitting-rate\" data-toc-id=\"6e5e9d32\">The bottom line on setting a pet sitting rate<\/h2><p>At the end of the day, you&rsquo;re the only person who can decide what your services are worth, says Funkhouser, and by sticking to rates that correlate with high-quality service, you&rsquo;re sure to build your business.&nbsp;<\/p><p>&ldquo;Will you have people not use your services because they think it&rsquo;s too expensive? Absolutely. Stick to your policies, prices and boundaries, and you&rsquo;ll be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/11-steps-to-starting-your-own-pet-care-busine\">running your pet care business<\/a>, as opposed to your clients.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Does this mean you should take advantage of clients? &ldquo;Never,&rdquo; Funkhouser says. &ldquo;Instead, always strive to offer the highest quality service. There&rsquo;s no magic number when it comes to caring for pets. There&rsquo;s only the quality of service and the value your clients find in it.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p><p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Experts offer tips and advice for what factors to take into account when figuring out how much to charge for pet sitting. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1273,"featured_media":52146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"enable_toc":true,"care_reviewed_by":0,"care_post_updated_flag":false,"care_updated_date":"2025-10-16T14:05:47.974Z","last_update":"2025-10-16","view_count":34266,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1135,1145],"member-type":[5],"vertical":[23,7],"platform":[2],"class_list":["post-51632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dog-walker-pros","tag-pet-sitter-pros","member-type-provider","vertical-careers-pet-care","vertical-pets","platform-resources"],"acf":[],"created":"2021-09-08","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1273"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51632"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":222455,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51632\/revisions\/222455"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51632"},{"taxonomy":"member-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/member-type?post=51632"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=51632"},{"taxonomy":"platform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/platform?post=51632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}