Pet services
Pet Boarding Cost Calculator
Works boarding cost, where the fixed facility dominates and occupancy decides everything.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Staff time per animal per day plus food, bedding and cleaning, plus the facility overhead allocated per kennel night, giving cost per night. The facility cost is largely fixed, which means cost per night depends almost entirely on occupancy rather than on the animals.
What moves the number
- Occupancy rate, which drives cost per night.
- Staffing ratio and the hours animal care requires.
- Food, bedding and cleaning consumables.
- Facility overhead including rent and utilities.
Where this one goes wrong
Cost per night at full occupancy and cost per night at half occupancy are very different figures, and because boarding demand concentrates into holidays the annual average occupancy is well below the peak, which means pricing on peak-occupancy cost leaves the business short most of the year. Price on realistic annual occupancy. Staffing is also not proportional to occupancy, since a facility with animals in it needs covering regardless of how many.
Before you quote
- Calculate cost per night at realistic annual occupancy.
- Note that staffing does not scale down with occupancy.
- Include facility overhead per available kennel night.
Questions
About this calculator
Why does boarding cost per night vary so much?
Occupancy. The facility cost is largely fixed, so cost per night at full occupancy and at half occupancy are very different figures, and the annual average is well below the holiday peak that people price from.
Does staffing scale with occupancy?
Not proportionally. A facility with animals in it needs covering regardless of how many, so a half-full kennel costs nearly as much to staff as a full one. That is what makes low occupancy so damaging.
Which occupancy should pricing assume?
A realistic annual figure rather than the holiday peak. Pricing on peak occupancy produces a rate that leaves the business short for most of the year, which is how boarding facilities end up chronically marginal.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours per appointment (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.2 h.
- Groomers needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Hourly rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $65.
- Shampoo, product and consumables ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $6.
- Intake or assessment fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours per appointment | 1.2 h |
| Groomers needed | 1 |
| Hourly rate charged | $65 |
| Shampoo, product and consumables | $6 |
| Intake or assessment fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $179 |
| Labour | $78 |
| Before tax | $179 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $179: $78 of labour, $6 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only hourly rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Hourly rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $33 | $140.60 |
| $49 | $159.80 |
| $65 example above | $179 |
| $98 | $218.60 |
| $130 | $257 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours per appointment (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 1.2 h.
- Groomers needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Hourly rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $65.
- Shampoo, product and consumables ($)
- A money amount, starting at $6.
- Intake or assessment fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.