Free tool

How much can you make as a pet sitter?

Thinking about going full-time? Wondering if you should raise your rate, add another client, or walk Bella an extra day a week? This calculator shows you what each decision does to your monthly take-home.

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Your numbers

How many regular, paying clients you have in a typical month.

A daily dog walker = 5. A twice-a-week sitter = 2. Average it.

$

Your typical rate across all services. Use the pricing calculator if unsure.

Visits billed but cancelled last-minute. Typical is 2–5%.

50 is typical after holidays and time off. Go lower if you travel.

Projected monthly take-home

$4,506

/ month

After Stripe fees and your Nuzzo plan. Before taxes, gas, insurance, and your other business costs.

45 visits × 50 weeks44 billable/wk
Weekly gross$1,091
Monthly gross$4,729
Stripe fees (2.9% + $0.30/charge)-$194
Nuzzo plan (auto-picked by client count)-$29
Monthly take-home$4,506
Annual gross (before fees + taxes)$54,563

This is gross revenue, not profit. After self-employment tax, gas/vehicle wear, insurance, and the time you spend on admin, most solo sitters keep 55–70% of their gross. Price accordingly.

How the math works

  1. Weekly visits = active clients × visits per client per week.
  2. Billable visits = weekly visits × (100% − no-show rate). Most solo shops see 2–5% no-shows; if you have a strict cancel policy, it's lower.
  3. Monthly gross = billable visits × average price × 52 ÷ 12. We use 52/12 instead of 4 to avoid undercounting.
  4. Stripe fees = 2.9% + $0.30 per charge. That's standard Stripe pricing; it's passed through to you, not marked up by Nuzzo.
  5. Nuzzo plan = $29 (Solo, up to 25 pets), $79 (Team, up to 100), or $149 (Pro, up to 400). We auto-pick based on your client count.
  6. Take-home = monthly gross − Stripe fees − Nuzzo plan. This is pre-tax, pre-vehicle, pre-insurance.

The four levers that move the number

Raise your rate by $2

If you have 15 clients × 3 visits/week, a $2 bump is $4,680/year. Most existing clients will accept a modest annual increase with 30 days' notice. New clients pay your new rate on day one.

Add a recurring client

A single 3x/week client at $25 is $3,900/year of recurring revenue. It's usually easier to add one more client than to raise rates on all of them.

Reduce no-shows with a cancel policy

Shifting from 5% no-shows to 2% adds ~3% to your gross. A simple '24-hour cancel policy, full charge otherwise' written in your contract usually solves it.

Work 52 weeks instead of 48

Four extra working weeks is an 8% raise with zero new clients. Holiday-season pet sitting is often the highest-rate week of the year.

Reality check

Gross revenue is not take-home. After self-employment tax (~15.3%), income tax (~12–22% on top), gas + vehicle wear (often 20–30% of gross for walkers), and insurance ($30–50/month minimum), most solo sitters keep 55–70% of what's shown as “monthly take-home” here. Factor that when deciding whether this can replace a salary.

Ready to earn, not just estimate?

Start a Nuzzo trial. Book a client, log your first visit, send a report card. 14 days, no credit card.

Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Revenue Calculator (Free) | Nuzzo · Nuzzo