How Much Does Rover Pay? (With Real Data)

How much does Rover pay? What you can make with Rover varies because of how Rover works. Unlike other gig economy apps where the apps set the rates you’re paid, with Rover, you set your own rates and choose the services you want to provide. So, how much Rover pays will depend on how well you market yourself, the services you provide, and how much you charge.

I’ve been a Rover sitter for a decade now, using it as a fun side hustle that makes me extra money and allows me to interact with many different dogs. I’ve often said it’s my most “passive” side hustle. This is because I already have a dog, so for me, taking care of another dog isn’t much extra work. After all, I already have to feed and walk my dog every day. Doing the same with another dog isn’t too much trouble.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the question of how much Rover pays. We’ll use information from Rover, as well as my data and experiences to show you what you can expect to make as a Rover sitter.

How Much Does Rover Pay?

At the outset, let’s talk about what Rover is. Rover is an app that connects people looking for dog sitters and dog walkers with people looking to board or walk dogs. I often describe Rover as an Airbnb for dogs. Just like with Airbnb, with Rover, customers can search for dogsitters and ask potential sitters to watch their dogs. People looking to be dog sitters on Rover can create a profile, choose what services they offer, and set prices for their services.

How much you can earn from Rover depends primarily on how much you charge and the services you offer. Most sitters on Rover earn their income from dog boarding where the sitter charges a set amount per day to watch someone’s dog. The more often you watch dogs, the more you’ll earn.

You can also increase your Rover earnings if you’re able to watch multiple dogs at the same time. This is the unique thing about watching dogs with Rover because watching dogs isn’t necessarily limited to 1 dog at a time – it’s possible to watch multiple dogs at once. Being able to watch multiple dogs at the same time means it’s possible to double or triple what you make each night.

In addition to dog boarding, you can also earn money from Rover with dog walking and catsitting. These are all services I offer and they have their pros and cons. I’ll go into more detail about the different types of services you can offer later in this post.

It’s important to note that Rover takes a commission from sitters. Rover sitters who signed up after March 1, 2016 are charged a 20% commission rate. When you set your rates, you need to remember that Rover takes 20% of what you earn.

While most people will use Rover as a part-time gig or a side hustle, there are many people out there who have turned Rover into a full-time job. For example, CNBC ran this article about a Rover sitter in New York who made over $100,000 in a year with Rover.

Most people will earn a few hundred dollars per month if using Rover as a part-time side hustle. If you want to dedicate more time to Rover, it’s possible to earn tens of thousands in a year. Even earning $100,000 or more from Rover is possible.

How Much Does Rover Pay (Based On My Real Data)

Perhaps the best way to see how much Rover pays is to look at real data. I’ve been a Rover sitter since 2015, so I have years of data that can help you see what you can earn with Rover.

Below is a screenshot of my earnings on Rover since I signed up to be a Rover sitter in 2015. Note that from 2015 to 2017, there was another dog boarding app called DogVacay, so my earnings were split between Rover and DogVacay. Rover purchased DogVacay in 2017 and merged the two platforms, so from 2018 onward, all the money I earned from dogsitting came from Rover.

Looking at my data, I earned around $3,000 to $3,500 most years with Rover (about $250 to $300 per month). There was a large dip in 2020 due to the pandemic and travel restrictions, which limited people needing dog-sitting services, but then my earnings picked back up again to normal in 2021. In 2022 and 2023, I moved to a wealthier neighborhood, which seems to have increased my earnings due to higher demand (most likely because people with more money travel more and have the income to hire sitters to watch their dogs).

The nice thing about Rover is that you can tailor your services to suit your needs. My primary service is dog boarding in my house where the client drops their dog off at my house. I charge $30 per night in Minneapolis. For holidays, my rates usually increase to $35 per night. I could probably charge a little more and still get good business, but I’m comfortable with what I’m making and the amount of sitting requests I get. I limit myself to watching only one dog at a time, so that does limit what I’m able to earn.

In addition to dog sitting, I also offer catsitting services where I go to people’s houses to take care of their cats while they’re out of town. I generally charge $16 for a 30-minute visit, with rates going up during the holidays. I also limit myself to only watching cats in my neighborhood so I don’t have to travel (basically, I only watch cats within 1 mile of my house). You can also board cats in your home, although I don’t often do this because I have a dog and don’t like to mix my dog with cats.

Finally, I do offer dog walking services, but I rarely receive these requests and when I do get them, I rarely accept them, mainly because dog walking doesn’t fit well with my schedule.

So that’s a look at my earnings over the past decade of watching dogs with Rover. Since I moved to my new neighborhood in 2021, my earnings have gone up significantly to around $5,000 per year (around $416 per month). I earn this primarily from boarding dogs in my home, as well as drop-in visits with cats in my neighborhood.

Lessons Learned From My Rover Earnings

Looking at my earnings is revealing and provides some information that can be useful when it comes to how much Rover pays. Here are the main lessons to take from my earnings:

1. You Have A Lot Of Control Over How Much Rover Pays

Rover is different from other gig economy apps because you set your prices, rather than having your prices set for you by the app. This gives you a lot of control over how much you can make. If you charge more, you might make more, but you could lose business to lower-priced sitters. Similarly, if you charge too little, you might be leaving money on the table (and selling yourself short).

You can also earn more by changing the types of services you offer. You’ll earn the most if you’re willing to watch multiple dogs at once, potentially doubling or tripling your earnings. This comes with added challenges, however. While watching one dog isn’t usually too difficult, things can get increasingly difficult once you add more dogs into the mix. This added difficulty (plus the unpredictability that comes with watching multiple dogs) is why I generally limit myself to watching one dog at a time.

Dog walking with Rover is similar, where you can earn more by figuring out the optimal price to charge and potentially walking multiple dogs if the owners let you do that. I will say that walking multiple dogs at the same time on Rover is difficult, as you’re often not going to receive dog walks close enough together to be able to make it work.

2. Your City Matters A Lot

The rates you can charge and the demand for Rover sitting depends a lot on where you live. Being in a city is really important, as that gives you the most opportunity to receive sitting requests. If you’re located in a rural area or a smaller city, you’ll receive fewer sitting requests.

In addition, your city also matters a lot when it comes to how much you can charge. Larger cities will typically have higher rates, while smaller cities will usually have lower rates. I live in Minneapolis and charge $30 per night. In New York, on the other hand, I see Rover sitters charging $60 per night or more. If you live in a big city, you’ll make more than what you’ll make in a smaller city.

3. Your Neighborhood Matters A Lot

Your neighborhood is a factor in your earnings that most Rover sitters don’t think about. Most clients are going to pick Rover sitters that are close to where they live, so when you think about it, the best neighborhoods are going to be wealthier neighborhoods where people have dogs, travel more often, and have more disposable income to spend on dogsitters.

My own experience bears this out. I used to live in a college neighborhood, which isn’t the ideal neighborhood for dogsitting. That’s because fewer college students have dogs and if they do have dogs, they’re not traveling as often and don’t have as much money to spend on dog sitters. When you think about it, most college students would either have parents watch their dogs or get friends to do it for them. As a result, when I lived in a college neighborhood, my earnings often capped out at around $3,000 to $3,500 for the year.

A few years ago, I moved to a much wealthier neighborhood in Minneapolis and you can see that my Rover pay increased significantly from $3,5000 to $5,000 per year. This is without changing anything about the services I offered. The reason for the increased earnings is due to increased demand for my Rover services, most likely because the people in my neighborhood have more money to spend on dog sitters and may travel more often.

In short, not only does your city matter but, at least based on my experience, where you live in your city matters a lot too.

Final Thoughts

The question of how much Rover pays will vary based on a lot of factors. Much of it will depend on what services you offer and how much you charge. Where you live will heavily impact what you earn as well.

I’ve been a Rover sitter for a decade now. It’s worked out well for me and is a nice way to earn extra income.

If you’re interested in becoming a Rover sitter, check out this post I wrote that goes into more detail about how Rover sitting works: Rover Pet Sitting – How To Make Money Dog Sitting With Rover.

This post may contain affiliate links. Financial Panther has partnered with AwardWallet and CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Financial Panther, AwardWallet, and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

More Recommended Ebike/Scooters

Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:

Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.

More Recommended Investing App Bonuses

For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:

M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with just $10 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
Webull (20 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 20 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
Moomoo (15 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 2 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.

More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses

If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.

Upgrade ($200) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $200 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $200 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
Ally Bank ($100) – Of all the banks out there, Ally is, without a doubt, my favorite. At the moment, Ally is offering $100 to customers who open an eligible Ally account and meet the requirements. Here are the step-by-step directions to earn your Ally Bank referral bonus.
Fairwinds Credit Union ($175) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
US Bank Business ($900) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
GO2Bank ($50) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $50 referral bonus.
Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
Varo ($25) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $25 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.

Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.

Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.

Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:

SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.24% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $900 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
Empower. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.

Feel free to send Kevin a message here.