How much should I tip a house sitter?

There is no set amount, and on Home Tales you don't have to tip at all. When you do, the right figure depends on how much the sit asks of your sitter. Here is what to weigh up, and how tipping works on Home Tales.

You decide before anyone applies

When you list your home on Home Tales, you choose one of three options. It shows on your listing, so sitters know what to expect before they apply.

• Guaranteed tip. You set an amount up front. Home Tales collects it a week before the sit, holds it, and pays it to your sitter when the sit is complete. See how guaranteed tips work.
• I might tip. No tip is expected, but you can tip your sitter through Home Tales once the sit is complete if you're happy with how it went.
• Unpaid house sit. No tip. Sitters can filter unpaid sits out of their searches, so if you want every sitter to see your listing, choose "I might tip".

What to weigh up

A fair tip reflects the work and the responsibility. Think about:

• How long the sit is. A long weekend asks less of someone than a month.
• Your pets. How many there are, and how much care they need. Several walks a day, medication, a young or elderly animal, or horses and livestock all add up.
• Your home. A large garden, plants to water, a pool, animals outside or a rural property with more to look after.
• How tied to the house the sitter will be. If your pets can't be left for more than a few hours, your sitter's days are built around them.
• Getting to you. A sitter travelling a long way, or to somewhere remote, has costs before the sit begins.
• Anything extra you ask. Jobs beyond looking after the pets and the home.

A simple way to work it out

Many hosts find it easiest to think in terms of a daily amount. As an example only: £10 a day for a seven-day sit comes to £70. A guaranteed tip can be set as a single amount, or per day, per week or per month, and Home Tales works out the total for your dates. You can combine more than one line, such as a daily amount plus a one-off sum towards travel.

Tip at the end, or guarantee it up front

A tip at the end lets you reward a sit after you've seen how it went. A guaranteed tip tells sitters the reward is certain, which lets them plan around your dates. Because the money is collected before the sit and held by Home Tales, your sitter knows it's real, and you know it's only paid once the sit is complete. You can still add a tip on top of a guaranteed one afterwards.

How much your sitter receives

Home Tales keeps 5% of each tip, and we pay the card processing costs, so on a £100 tip your sitter receives £95. Tips are paid by card through Home Tales and go to the sitter's bank account through Stripe, our payments partner. To receive them, sitters set up payouts and add their tax details.

Tips paid through Home Tales count as the sitter's earnings, and we report them to HMRC under the rules for digital platforms. Being reported doesn't mean a sitter owes tax. They may need to tell HMRC about earnings over £1,000 in a tax year.

A review counts too

Whatever you decide about money, leave a review after the sit. Hosts choosing a sitter read what other hosts have said, so a good review helps your sitter find their next sit.