How much should you tip a pet sitter?
Most etiquette guides suggest tipping a pet sitter 10% to 20% of the booking, according to Rover and Dogster. For a long stay, a flat $20 to $100 is common instead. A holiday tip for a regular sitter runs about $50 to $200. Tips are always optional.
Yes, I’m a pet sitter writing about tipping pet sitters, and I’m aware of how that looks. So I’ll stick to what the etiquette people say and keep my own opinions in my treat pouch. This is part of my guide to how much pet sitting costs.
Nobody hands you a tipping chart when you book a pet sitter, so most people end up panic-Googling it in the airport parking lot. Welcome. You’re in good company.
How much should you tip a pet sitter?
Tip a pet sitter 10% to 20% of the total fee for a normal booking, according to Rover’s tipping guide. Dogster suggests starting at 10%, going to 15% for good service and 20% to 25% or more for exceptional care.
It works like a restaurant tip, except your server also scooped a litter box and talked your dog down from a thunderstorm. Most people land around 15% and feel fine about it.
What that looks like on a real booking
Here’s the 10% to 20% range applied to my own Rover prices, so you can see real dollars instead of percentages:
Percentages are great until you’re doing long division at the front door with your suitcase still in the car. The table does it for you.
How much to tip a dog sitter
Tip a dog sitter the same 10% to 20%, and lean higher when they did more than the booking. Rover lists extra walks, giving medication and an emergency vet trip as good reasons to tip more.
If your sitter dealt with a dog who ate an entire sock and then acted like nothing happened, that’s a top-of-the-range tip. If your dog just slept on the couch for three days, 15% is plenty, and your dog owes you an apology for the drama-free weekend.
Both of these are worth every percent. Neither has ever tipped.
How much to tip a cat sitter
Tip a cat sitter 10% to 20% of the total for all the visits, not per visit. With several drop-ins in a week, working it out on the total keeps it simple.
Cat sitting can look easy from the outside. Then you remember someone spent a week being ignored by your cat on purpose and still sent you photos to prove the cat was fine.
Tipping on a long stay
For a long stay, a flat tip of $20 to $100 is common, according to etiquette expert Nick Leighton in Rover’s guide, because a percentage “can quickly balloon.” Dogster suggests tipping whenever you’re gone more than five days.
On a two-week trip, 20% stops looking like a tip and starts looking like a car payment. That’s why the experts switch to a flat number.
“I am happy to give Helen a five star rating (out of five.) Thank you so much Helen!” Margie G., after a week of dog sitting
Holiday tips for a regular sitter
If you use the same pet sitter regularly, a holiday tip of about $50 to $200 is typical, depending on how often you book, according to Care.com’s 2026 holiday tipping guide. The Emily Post Institute suggests up to a week’s pay, or a gift, for a regular dog walker.
Holiday tips are the pet care version of fruitcake: traditional, appreciated, and nobody’s completely sure how big it’s supposed to be.
Do you tip a self-employed pet sitter?
You can, but it’s less expected. Etiquette expert Nick Leighton tells Rover that tipping is less expected for self-employed sitters, “though it’s always appreciated,” and more customary when a sitter works for a company.
I’m self-employed, so that’s me. If you’re ever unsure with any sitter, the experts’ advice is simply to ask whether tips are customary in their business. It’s less awkward than guessing, and much less awkward than the folded twenty.
How to tip on Rover
On Rover, you can add a tip in the app after the booking ends, and the sitter receives 100% of it. It’s optional, and the same screen asks you for a review.
The tip button shows up right when you’re feeling grateful and still slightly covered in dog hair, which is excellent timing on Rover’s part. If you’d rather say thanks another way, a kind review helps a solo sitter more than you’d think. Here’s how booking me works.
