The short answer
Rover takes 20% of each booking from Canadian sitters. In seven pilot cities, including Calgary, Vancouver and Ottawa-Gatineau, the fee is tiered by client instead: 30%, then 15%, then 10% as your bookings with that client grow.
Owners pay a separate 11% service fee, capped at $65 a booking. On a $60 overnight, a sitter keeps $48 at the standard fee.
What Rover charges sitters in Canada (2026)
These are the fees in Rover's Canadian help centre as of September 29, 2026. Rover says its service fees pay for the platform, 24/7 support and the Rover Guarantee, a reimbursement program primarily intended to protect pets.
| Where you live | Rover's fee on each booking |
|---|---|
| Most of Canada | 20% |
| Pilot cities, client's past bookings total $499 or less | 30% |
| Pilot cities, $500 to $999 with that client | 15% |
| Pilot cities, $1,000 or more with that client | 10% |
The pilot, described in Rover's help article on earning more with repeat clients, applies automatically to sitters who live in or around Saskatoon, Regina, Québec, Nanaimo, Calgary, Vancouver and Ottawa-Gatineau, and sitters there can't opt out. Progress is tracked per client, on completed booking subtotals (tips don't count), and a booking that crosses a threshold is split between the two rates. Rover calls it a pilot, so it may change or spread to other cities; check the Rates section of your own services to see which structure you're on.
What Rover charges pet owners
Owners pay an 11% service fee listed separately at checkout, capped at $65 per booking. It's refunded if the booking is cancelled under the sitter's cancellation policy. The price on a sitter's profile already includes the sitter-side fee, so on a $60 overnight the owner pays $60 plus $6.60, or $66.60, and Rover's fees from both sides total $18.60 at the standard rate. Prices exclude GST/HST.
What a sitter keeps on a $60 overnight
Here's the same $60 overnight sit, paid four different ways:
| How the booking is paid | Fees | Sitter keeps |
|---|---|---|
| Rover, standard 20% | $12.00 | $48.00 |
| Rover pilot, new client (30%) | $18.00 | $42.00 |
| Rover pilot, client past $1,000 (10%) | $6.00 | $54.00 |
| Direct client, Interac e-Transfer | No Biller fee | $60.00 |
| Direct client, card through Biller Free | $2.04 Stripe + $1.50 Biller | $56.46 |
| Direct client, card through Biller Pro | $2.04 Stripe + $0.15 Biller | $57.81 |
The card rows use Stripe's standard Canadian rate of 2.9% + 30¢ for a domestic card (international cards cost more), plus Biller's fee: 2.5% on the free plan or 0.25% on Pro. E-Transfers carry no Biller fee, and most bank accounts charge little or nothing to receive one.
Over a year the gap adds up. A sitter who does 100 overnights at $60 pays Rover $1,200 at the standard 20%. The same 100 nights paid by direct clients by e-Transfer cost nothing in fees; paid by card on Biller Pro, they cost about $219 in fees plus the $99 plan.
How much Rover sitters make
Rover doesn't publish sitter earnings, but its city price guides show what sitters list. At Rover's Toronto averages and the standard 20% fee:
| Service (Toronto average) | Listed price | Sitter keeps at 20% |
|---|---|---|
| Overnight house sit | $60.26 | $48.21 |
| Dog boarding, per night | $49.39 | $39.51 |
| 30-minute drop-in | $24.68 | $19.74 |
Ten overnights and twenty drop-ins in a month at those averages lists at about $1,096 and pays the sitter about $877, before income tax and expenses like travel. Most other large Canadian cities list lower: boarding averages about $40 to $50 a night and house sits about $50. For city-by-city rates, see our dog sitting and boarding rates guide, pet and cat sitting rates guide, house sitting rates guide and dog walking rates guide.
Deciding how clients should pay you?
With Biller, every invoice shows your e-Transfer details and, once you connect Stripe, a pay-by-card button — so clients pay the way they prefer, and card payments and Autodeposit e-Transfers are recorded as they land.
Start freeFree plan — unlimited invoices, no card needed.
When Rover is the better choice
Rover earns its fee in some situations, and we'd say so to a friend:
- You're starting from zero. Rover puts you in front of owners who are already searching. Direct booking only works once you have clients to book.
- You want the platform's protection. Rover's fees cover the Rover Guarantee, its reimbursement program for pets, and 24/7 support. Booking directly, you need your own insurance and your own written terms.
- You want reviews in one public place. Owners who don't know you trust a profile full of reviews. That's hard to replicate on day one.
- Your client is in the pilot's 10% tier. In a pilot city, a long-standing client past $1,000 costs 10%, which narrows the gap with card payments made directly.
Rover is less of a fit for clients who already book you by name, pay by e-Transfer and don't need a marketplace to find you. Before you move any client you met on Rover, read Rover's terms of service for the current rules.
Booking your own clients directly
Taking your own clients means doing the admin the platform did for you. Biller covers that for one-person pet-care businesses:
- A booking link where clients request dates, plus quotes, a schedule and invoices, with GST/HST once you're registered
- Payment reminders, so you're not the one chasing
- Card payments through your own Stripe account, and Biller records each Autodeposit e-Transfer from the notification emails you forward
- A free plan with unlimited invoices; Pro is $99 CAD a year for full reports, the accountant CSV export and the lower card fee
Put your terms in writing first: our free pet sitting contract template covers rates, cancellations, vet emergencies and keys.
Common questions
How much does Rover take from sitters in Canada?
Rover's Canadian help centre says it applies a 20% service fee per booking. Sitters living in or around Saskatoon, Regina, Québec, Nanaimo, Calgary, Vancouver and Ottawa-Gatineau are automatically in a pilot where the fee depends on booking history with each client: 30% until that client's bookings total $499, 15% from $500 to $999, and 10% from $1,000. That was the policy as of September 29, 2026.
How much does Rover charge pet owners?
Pet owners pay an 11% service fee on top of the booking, shown separately at checkout, capped at $65 per booking. The sitter's listed price already includes the fee Rover takes from the sitter.
How much do Rover sitters make in Canada?
It depends on the city, the service and the fee tier. At Rover's Toronto averages and the standard 20% fee, a sitter keeps about $48 of a $60 overnight house sit, about $40 of a $49 boarding night and about $20 of a $25 drop-in visit. Ten overnights and twenty drop-ins in a month at those rates pays about $880 before tax and expenses.
What does a sitter keep on a $60 overnight through Rover?
At the standard 20% fee, $48. In a pilot city, $42 with a new client (30%), $51 once that client's bookings pass $500 (15%) and $54 past $1,000 (10%). The owner pays $66.60 including Rover's 11% owner fee.
Is there a Rover alternative with lower fees?
The cheapest alternative is booking repeat clients directly. Paid by Interac e-Transfer, you keep the full rate. Tools like Biller give direct clients a booking link, invoices and payment reminders; card payments cost Stripe's processing fee plus a 2.5% Biller fee on the free plan or 0.25% on Pro ($99 a year).
Do Rover's fees change for repeat clients?
Only in the pilot cities. There, the fee drops from 30% to 15% and then 10% as your completed bookings with the same client pass $500 and $1,000. Elsewhere in Canada, the standard 20% applies to every booking.
Related guides
- Pet and cat sitting rates in Canada
- Dog sitting and boarding rates in Canada
- House sitting rates in Canada
- Dog walking rates in Canada
- Free pet sitting contract template
- Payment methods for Canadian small businesses
Rover's sitter and owner fees were checked in Rover's Canadian help centre on September 29, 2026; Toronto averages come from Rover's Toronto dog sitting price guide (data dated September 2025). Stripe's rate was checked on stripe.com the same day. Fees change; check Rover's help centre for the current terms. Rover is a trademark of its owner. Biller.ca is not affiliated with Rover.