Thinking of turning your love of animals into a paying gig? Plenty of pet owners are looking for skilled animal enthusiasts to help out with regular pet care, or to look after their furry friends while they’re away on holiday. But there may be one big question stopping you from making the leap into the world of pet sitting: money.
How much do pet sitters make? What you’ll earn for a pet sitting job varies depending on where you live, how many pets you’re looking after and when/how long you offer your services for. Below are some insights into what you can potentially make by putting your pet skills into action.
Going rates for pet sitters
The average rate for pet sitters is around $20 an hour across Australia. So, for a part-time pet sitting job of 15 hours a week, you’re looking at $300 a week, $600 a fortnight or $15,600 a year.
While the average rates are fairly consistent, there are factors that will increase what you can – and should – charge for your pet sitting services. Below is an overview of things to bear in mind when settling on a rate.
1. Your location
Base rates for pet sitters are similar across the country, but the cost of living in your area will inevitably affect what you need to earn to get by – and what pet owners are prepared to pay. Pet sitters in high-income areas like Melbourne’s Toorak or Sydney’s bayside suburbs will generally charge a bit more than their counterparts in the outer suburbs, for example.
2. Your expenses
Remember that it’s not just the time you spend looking after someone’s pet that needs to be covered. Your rate should take into account factors like your travel time and any equipment you require.
Think about how long it takes you to get to the place you’re pet sitting. Dropping in to feed a cat two doors down will take a lot less of your time than trekking across town to do the same job in another neighbourhood. Make sure to factor in your travel time (and expenses) when working out how much to charge. That includes the cost of your public transport ticket or fuel for your car.
There may well be basic items you want to have on-hand, too, such as treats and poo bags, or tags to keep track of keys if your employer has given you a set. In addition, consider any extra garments you want to invest in – such as pet friendly clothing or waterproof layers if you’ll be expected to take animals out in all sorts of weather.
3. Your responsibilities
How much you charge as a pet sitter will also depend on what you’re expected to do. Most employers will want you to feed and give water to their pet, clean out cat litter trays, take dogs on walks and toilet breaks, and carry out basic grooming.
More responsibilities go hand in hand with higher rates. Sitters often charge more if a pet requires complex medications to be administered, for example, or if they have a very specific exercise regime. Depending on the kind of pet sitting you offer, you may also want to charge more for additional grooming like cutting nails or giving baths.
Pets with anxiety or aggression issues who need special handling also warrant charging a higher rate – one of many reasons to make sure you meet the pet in question before agreeing to a pet sitting job.
4. How many pets you’re sitting
The more pets you’re looking after, the higher your fees will generally be. Pet sitting for someone who just has one dog will be much less effort than looking after two dogs, three cats and a guinea pig.
At the same time, caring for multiple pets for multiple owners simultaneously can boost your salary, even if the individual rate for each pet is the same. If you do dog walking, for example, you could consider taking a few dogs from the same area out at once to make the most efficient use of your time.
5. Type of animal(s)
Experts agree that, when it comes to pet sitting, dogs are generally the highest maintenance of the bunch, with bigger dogs being more work than smaller dogs.
Providing care for some types of pets is a lot more work than others, so it’s completely appropriate to charge more for different types of animals. It takes a lot more time and energy to try to wear out a border collie who’s happy to chase tennis balls all day than it does to make sure a senior cat who sleeps 90% of the time still has food, water and a clean litter box.
6. Your hours
When you do your pet sitting can make a big difference to how much you can charge. Looking after pets on the weekend often pays more, for example. Many sitters will also charge differently depending on whether they’re popping in for a couple of hours or looking after a pet all weekend while the owner is away.
Another factor is the regularity of your hours. If you have an owner who wants to book you for regular dog walking on a daily or weekly basis, you might charge less for this per session than you would for an ad-hoc, one-off job. Regular income is a valuable resource – particularly when you have regular costs like bills – and some sitters opt to charge a flat weekly or fortnightly fee for jobs that offer more consistency.
7. Your level of experience
Most owners will want to entrust their animals to someone with extensive pet handling experience. And as with most professions, the more experienced and highly qualified you are, the higher the rates you can charge.
Sitters with many years of experience who are confident in lots of different situations will be able to ask for more than those who are just starting out. If you’re looking to gain experience and don’t currently have a pet of your own, you could consider volunteering for a pet care charity such as Pets of the Homeless Australia or your local animal shelter, or signing up for a community pet sharing service like Dogshare.
While there are no specific qualifications you need to become a pet sitter, having them can positively impact your rate. You might want to consider a course in animal first aid, for example, or an animal care qualification or certification.
Know the bare minimum you’re required to be paid
Owners often want experienced, high-quality pet care at the minimum possible price. But make sure the fee you’re paid reflects your needs – and the legal requirements. The minimum wage – sometimes referred to as the “National Minimum Wage” – as of 1 July 2021 is $20.33 per hour in Australia.This is reviewed yearly by the Fair Work Commission.
Know how much you need to make a living
While the minimum wage is a requirement, experts agree that for many people, it not enough to live on. The wage workers actually need to make ends meet and support their families is referred to as the living wage.
It’s helpful to know the minimum wage so you can figure out if it’s going to be enough to cover your own personal costs of living and lifestyle. The tools below can help show you the estimated pay rates for pet sitters and can help you calculate your own salary requirements:
- Look up the average pet sitting rates for your area
- Check out this budget planner from moneysmart.gov.au to find out how much you should realistically be charging to meet your needs
Don’t forget about tax
Remember that your pet sitting rate is how much you’ll be paid before tax. You can use this income tax calculator to work out how much money you will actually have in your pocket after tax and the Medicare levy are deducted – which is useful to know when calculating your rates.
