How Much to Charge for Dog Sitting: 2026 Rates and Add-Ons

Those are the medians of the rates sitters set on Sittsy in September 2026. The base rates come from 1,407 sitters who offer overnight care, 558 who board, 585 who offer day care, 1,631 who offer visits and 1,610 who offer walks. Each add-on below is the median of the 251 to 729 sitters who set it.

What dog sitters charge, service by service

"Most sitters charge" is the middle half of sitters, leaving out the cheapest and the priciest quarter. Treat the median as a reference point. Price near it and a new sitter lands right in the middle of the market. Years of experience, medical skills or a very flexible schedule can justify more, and nothing stops you asking for it, since every sitter sets their own rate.

Where you live moves the overnight rate less than you might think. Within 25 miles of most big cities the typical overnight rate is also $50, but it's $60 around New York and Los Angeles, $75 around Austin and $90 around San Francisco. The full city table is in how much a dog sitter costs.

How much to charge for a second dog, a puppy or an hour

Here's what sitters who set these extras on Sittsy charge:

Look at the extra-dog column first. For overnight stays and visits, the typical add-on is half the base rate, so the typical sitter doesn't charge double for two dogs. Puppies go the other way: the puppy rate sits about 20% above the base rate for most services.

Sitters who take cats typically add $20 a night for each extra cat on overnight stays and boarding, $15 a day for day care and $8 a visit.

One caveat on the 60-minute figures. They count only sitters who chose their own hour price, because when a sitter doesn't, Sittsy fills in 1.5 times the 30-minute rate. Sitters who price the hour themselves put a 60-minute visit at $37, well above the $30 you'd get from 1.5 times the typical $20 rate, and a 60-minute walk at $30.

How much should I charge for dog sitting per day?

If you visit rather than stay, charge per visit. Three 30-minute visits at $20 come to $60, which is more than the $50 typical overnight rate. So when an owner is weighing the two, tell them: staying over costs them less and covers the night as well.

What to charge for holidays, long stays and travel

We don't have figures for these. What we can offer is the list of questions to settle before your first request:

1. Holidays. Working a holiday costs you your own plans. If you add a premium, say so on your profile or in your first reply, before the owner books.
2. Long stays. On a two-week booking you might drop the nightly rate slightly in exchange for a guaranteed block of work.
3. Travel time. A 30-minute visit 20 minutes away is really an hour of your day. Set a travel radius you're happy with, or charge more for the far edge of it.
4. Extra care. Medication, injections or lifting a senior dog take time and carry responsibility. The puppy and extra-dog rates above show how much room sitters give themselves for extra work.

How much to charge a friend or neighbor for dog sitting

A favor has no market rate, but the numbers above are still a fair reference. Work out the job first (nights or visits, number of dogs, any medication), price it the way you would for a stranger, then decide on a friends' discount. Put it in writing before the trip, even if it's just a text. If it's a teen sitting for a neighbor, keep it to visits and walks, with an agreed number to call if something goes wrong.

What Sittsy costs you as a sitter

On bookings the owner pays by card, Sittsy takes no commission from your rate. Set $50 a night and $50 is what you're paid.

That doesn't make the platform free for you. Creating a profile, verifying your ID and card (the card is saved, not charged), messaging owners and receiving requests cost nothing. At the end of sign-up in the app, though, a new sitter pays a one-time deposit. It's usually $50, and the app shows the options and the exact amount before you pay. The money becomes your Sittsy wallet balance. It isn't cash, and you can't withdraw it to a bank.

What does the balance pay for? Three things. If you share your phone number in chat, or reveal the owner's, before a booking is confirmed, a trust deposit comes out of it: 35% of the booking by default. You get it back in your wallet when the owner pays through Sittsy, and you don't if the booking happens outside Sittsy. When an owner pays you in cash, Sittsy's commission on that booking comes from the wallet too. And every application to an owner's request costs a symbolic $0.01.

Some plans come with a money-back promise, and the app shows its conditions before you pay. If no owner books you in your first 30 days, you've collected 5 approved testimonials, applied to at least 80% of the requests you could see, kept your calendar open at least 24 of the 30 days and replied to requests within 24 hours, and you then decide to stop using your account, the covered deposit is refunded to your card once the 30 days are up. Not every plan includes the promise, so check before you pay.

Taxes on pet sitting income

Pet sitting income is taxable. The IRS says you owe self-employment tax of 15.3% for Social Security and Medicare once your net self-employment earnings reach $400 in a year. Put part of each payment aside and tax season gets a lot less painful. A tax professional can tell you what applies to you.

When should you raise your rate?

After your first few reviews is a natural moment. Every completed sit on Sittsy can earn you a review that helps you get booked again. Other signs it's time: you're turning down requests, the same owners keep coming back, or your calendar fills up weeks ahead. Raise in small steps, and for new bookings.

See what sitters near you charge

Browse pet sitters across the US, dog walking, drop-in visits and pet boarding, or open your city's page, such as pet sitters in New York. Ready to start? Become a sitter on Sittsy and set your own rates. Read the deposit section above first, so you know what signing up costs.