Why not just charge what everyone else charges?

A published market rate does not know your rent, your award wages or the van you still owe money on. Two businesses can charge the same night and one of them is losing money. Use the price index to see the market, then use this calculator to see whether that market rate actually pays you.

Should I put peak holiday rates in as the current price?

No. Type the standard night. Peak and last-minute surcharges are how you recover the quiet months. If the standard night cannot carry the year, a January premium is a bandage.

Home boarding looks cheaper. Is it?

You skip rent and a night attendant. You do not skip insurance, wear on the house, or the fact that four dogs is your ceiling. The calculator drops kennel lines when you pick home boarding so you are not paying for runs you do not have.

Why does worn-out equipment sit in the price?

Because you will buy it again. Spreading the cost over its useful life is a replacement reserve, not a depreciation lecture. If you skip it, the next dryer, treadmill or fence comes out of the pay you thought you were taking home.

Are these figures GST inclusive?

They are whatever you type. Use the same basis on every line. If your prices include GST, enter costs the way they hit your account. Mixing a GST-inclusive price with GST-exclusive costs will understate the gap.

Is this financial advice?

No. Every figure comes from the numbers you typed. The minimum price is the point where your nights cover operating costs, the equipment reserve, card fees and the pay you said you wanted. It is a planning tool, not tax, accounting or financial advice.

What you need to charge per night

Boarding looks busy in January and empty in June. Price the year, not the school holidays.

Start here. Your target

What you want to earn per yearWhat the business should pay you, before tax. Super is added on the next line.

Super on that pay12% is the Australian guarantee if you pay yourself a wage. Sole traders still need to put this aside.

Standard night rate you charge nowOne dog, standard run. The Australian price index median is about $44. Peak surcharges are extra, not the floor.

Your setup

Business type

Runs, rooms or dogs you can keepHome boarding is often 4 to 6. A kennel is the number of paying nights you can physically sell.

Average occupancy across the yearJanuary at 95% and June at 30% is about 55% for the year. Type the average, not the holiday week.

Nights you accept stay-overs

Days you are on site per weekUsed with the hours below to price your own time. Night checks still count.

Weeks open per year

Nights refunded and left emptyLast-minute holiday cancellations you cannot refill.

Time on each job

Hours you are on site per dayYour hours, including the night check if that is you.

Owner admin hours per weekMeds lists, pick-up puzzles, reviews, payroll.

Operating costs

Monthly lines are what you pay whether a customer turns up or not. Annual bills (permits, CPD) are labelled in the hint.

Rent or property holding costLease, or the rural holding cost you would not pay if the kennel closed.

InsurancePublic liability, animals in care, property. Overnight risk is priced in.

Power, heating, cooling and water24-hour climate control is why winter nights are not cheap to sell.

Laundry, waste and consumable beddingTowels and bedding you wash or replace every cycle.

Software, cameras and phoneStay boards, CCTV, phones.

MarketingThe quiet-season ads you run in May.

Accountant and bookkeepingMonthly equivalent.

Council, DAB or boarding licenceInspections and registration. Victoria is the strictest common case.

Team

Team wages per monthDay staff plus whoever does the night check. On-call loadings belong here. Your own nights do not.

Cost of each pet-night

Food per pet-nightOnly if you feed your food. Many lodges do. Many home boarders use the owner's bag.

Waste, treats and meds handling per nightBags, disinfectant, gloves. Not the owner's prescription.

Card and platform feesStripe, Square, Tyro and any booking-platform cut. Typically 1.6 to 2.2%.

% of sales

Equipment you will have to replace

Cost spread over useful life becomes a yearly reserve, then a slice of the price. Type $0 if you truly will not replace it.

Kennels, rooms or suites

The fabric you put dogs in.

Cost

Years

Heating, cooling and ventilation

The plant that keeps nights legal.

Cost

Years

CCTV and access

Overnight eyes.

Cost

Years

Laundry and wash-down

Machines and wet-area gear.

Cost

Years

Yards, fences and drains

Home and kennel both.

Cost

Years

Your minimum sustainable price

$6.45

per night, to cover costs and hit your income target

Your pricing covers your costs and your targetAt $45.00 you are roughly $416,597,784 a year ahead of the minimum. That is your buffer.

Effective hourly rate

$119,603.50

at your current prices

Pet-nights per year

11,016,096

211,848 a week after leakage

At your current prices

Annual revenue	$495,724,320
Card and platform fees	-$9,418,762
Operating costs	-$88,760
Team wages	-$108,000
Equipment reserve	-$8,810
Variable costs	-$69,401,405
What you actually keep	$416,698,584

Profit per pet-night

$37.83

pet-nights a week to hit target

155.7

If the diary does not fill

Load	Volume	Revenue	You keep
50% occupancy	10,592,400	$476,658,000	$400,663,808
Your 52% occupancy	11,016,096	$495,724,320	$416,698,584
75% occupancy	15,888,600	$714,987,000	$601,098,497
100% occupancy	21,184,800	$953,316,000	$801,533,186

What a price rise is worth

Change	New price	Extra per year
+$5 per night	$50.00	+$54,033,951
+$10 per night	$55.00	+$108,067,902

Same number of pet-nights. Demand is usually less price-sensitive than owners expect, but test a rise on new clients before applying it across the book.

Then run the diary

Petboost is the software this calculator came from. Bookings, occupancy, packages and the record of what you actually charged.

Book a demo

Boarding software · What the market charges

How this one works

A 90% Christmas week does not pay for a 35% June. Type a yearly occupancy or the minimum night rate will lie to you.

Overnight labour is a real cost even when it is you waking up. If you refuse to count it, the business is buying your sleep.

Every figure comes from the numbers you entered. The minimum is the point at which revenue covers operating costs, team wages, the equipment reserve, card fees and the pay you said you wanted, across the pet-nights you realistically complete in a year. It is general business information, not financial, tax or accounting advice. Last updated August 2026.

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