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 groom 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.

Home salon, shopfront or mobile. Does it change the maths?

Yes. Home trades rent for a share of the house. A shopfront adds outgoings and usually a bather. Mobile adds travel minutes, fuel and a van you have to replace. Switch the type and the fields that do not apply drop out, so they cannot quietly inflate the price.

Should I price by dog size or use one average?

Use your average across the week to find the floor. Then load larger or coated breeds above it. The calculator answers whether the book as a whole pays you, not whether a 4kg Maltese is a bargain.

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 grooms 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 groom

Rent, water, blades, the van and the pay you actually want, not a Facebook average.

Step 1 of 6Your target

Planning model from the numbers you type. Not financial, tax or accounting advice.

Your target

Floor$98.80

What you want to take home, and what you charge now.

What you want to earn per year

What the business should pay you, before tax. Super is added on the next line.

Super on that pay

12% is the Australian guarantee if you pay yourself a wage. Sole traders still need to put this aside.

What you charge now per groom

Your average across sizes. The Australian price index median for a small-dog full groom is about $108.

How this one works

A groom that takes 90 minutes plus 15 minutes of admin is not a $95 hour. It is closer to a $50 hour once the unpaid work is in.

Water and power belong in monthly costs, not only in the $6 of shampoo. Wet trades hide the bill in the quarterly statement.

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 grooms 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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