How Much Does Rover Take From Sitters? (2026 Fees Explained)

KKBy Kashif Nazir Khan, Founder of Pupline

Updated June 8, 2026·7 min read

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Rover keeps 20% of every booking in most states, so a sitter or walker takes home 80% of their listed rate. In California, and on RoverGO, the cut is 25%. On top of that, the pet owner pays an 11% booking fee (capped at $50). So on a $100 booking, you receive $80, the owner pays about $111, and Rover collects roughly $31 in total.

This article covers how Rover's fees compare to Wag, how those fees have evolved, and what smart sitters do about them. For a full interactive breakdown of your own take-home, use the Rover Fees Calculator. If that cut is adding up, weigh going independent on the Rover alternative comparison.

Try it: what does Rover take from you?

How much does Rover take from sitters and walkers?

Rover charges the person providing the care a service fee that comes straight out of their pay:

This fee applies to the base booking, your nightly, per-walk, or per-visit rate. It does not come out of tips: any tip a client adds is yours to keep, 100%. Rover's UK fees are lower than the US: a 15% sitter fee on one-off bookings, dropping to 5% on repeat weekly care, with a 15% owner booking fee capped at £49. Switch the calculator above to the United Kingdom to see your take-home in pounds.

How much does Rover charge pet owners?

Owners don't just pay your rate. At checkout, Rover adds a booking fee of 11% on top of the sitter's price, capped at $50 per booking. That fee is the owner's, it doesn't reach you, but it does make your service more expensive to the client than the number on your profile.

Put both fees together and Rover earns on both sides of the same booking:

Rover vs Wag: how do the fees compare?

Rover and Wag are the two biggest pet-care marketplaces in the US. Their fee structures are broadly similar but differ in structure and rate.

Rover charges sitters a 20% service fee in most states (25% in California and on RoverGO), with no subscription option. Rover also charges the pet owner an 11% booking fee capped at $50. Rover is free to join, and there is no recurring platform charge regardless of how many bookings you do.

Wag has offered a tiered model that includes a monthly subscription option, which can reduce per-booking commissions for high-volume walkers. Fee structures on both platforms can change; always check the current published rates on each platform's help center before making a business decision.

The key practical difference: Rover's fee is purely per-booking, so your cost in a quiet month is zero. A subscription model spreads cost differently. Neither platform offers a way to reduce fees by moving clients to a direct booking arrangement through the platform itself.

What do Rover's fees cost you over a year?

The 20% feels small on one booking. Across a full schedule, it's one of the biggest line items in a pet-care business.

A dog walker doing 20 walks a month at $25 pays Rover about $1,200 a year in service fees. A sitter doing 15 overnights a month at $75 hands over roughly $2,700 a year. That's money that disappears before it ever reaches you, purely for the booking running through Rover's platform.

Use the Rover Fees Calculator to see your own annual total.

How can you pay less in Rover fees?

There's no discount code or setting that lowers Rover's 20% service fee. The only real way to keep more is to book clients directly rather than through the platform.

That's why many pros treat Rover as a discovery channel: use it to meet new clients, then move your repeat regulars onto your own booking and invoicing. Once a client is rebooking you every week, the platform isn't finding you anything new, it's just taking a cut.

When you book directly, you:

• Keep 100% of your rate (no 20% service fee).
• Let clients pay your real price without the 11% owner add-on.
• Own the client relationship, your schedule, and your payment records.

The catch is that you then need a tidy way to schedule, document, and invoice those clients yourself. Pupline's pet sitting software is built for exactly this: clients, scheduling, and branded invoices from your phone for one simple monthly price, with no percentage taken on any booking. See how flat-fee software stacks up against the platform cut in pet care software vs Rover, or the two models side by side on the Rover alternative comparison.

Sitter strategy: using Rover without being dependent on it

The most effective approach many full-time sitters use is a two-layer model:

1. Rover for acquisition: let the platform's search traffic and reviews bring in first-time clients. Accept the 20% as a marketing cost for new business.
2. Direct booking for repeat clients: once a client has booked two or three times and trusts you, offer to book directly. They pay a cleaner price (no 11% owner fee), you keep 100%, and the relationship is yours.

The practical question is whether you have a system to handle scheduling, invoices, and client records outside the platform. That's the operational piece that most sitters patch together with spreadsheets and notes until the volume makes it painful.

Frequently asked questions

Does Rover take a cut of tips?

No. Tips are paid on top of the booking and are not subject to Rover's service fee, you keep 100% of any tip.

Is the Rover service fee really 20%?

Yes, for most US states. It rises to 25% in California and on RoverGO. These reflect Rover's published fees as of 2026; Rover sets and can change its own rates.

Why does Rover charge the owner a fee too?

The 11% booking fee is how Rover earns from the pet-owner side of the marketplace, separate from the service fee it takes from sitters. It's capped at $50 per booking.

Is it against the rules to take clients off Rover?

Rover's terms ask you to keep bookings you found through Rover on the platform. Many pros build their own client base over time, through referrals, local marketing, and word of mouth, and run those directly. How you grow off-platform is your call; this guide simply explains the fee math.