Petrol charges for pet sitting

[MellowYellow552]

I have a pet sitting business, and one of my regulars has moved house but still wants me to look after her rabbits. She says she is happy to pay me for the petrol as it is now almost 10 miles away from my house whereas before it was just over 3 miles and included in the rate within my radius.

I thought I would charge her the difference between the old and new properties, 6.6 miles. But as I've never charged for petrol before, I don't know how much to ask for. It's a one-off as she's been a regular for a long time with different animals, so I want to keep doing this.

What would anyone suggest please? Thanks.

I charge mileage at 45p a mile, which is standard.

45p is the HMRC rate per mile, so go for that.

I’d probably just charge for 7 miles each way so distance minus your radius. So £6.30 per visit

It's not just petrol you need to charge for, it's wear and tear on the car from the extra milage and your travel time. If you're going to do sitting further away you basically need to implement a second tier rate and charge her that. So one rate for upto 5 miles radius, another for upto 10 miles radius etc.

Anyone in any job where "petrol" is covered will tell you what a rip off it is and how their additional costs (extra insurance costs and extra repairs on the car and ultimately needing a new car sooner than later) due to using their car for work purposes aren't remotely covered by the mileage allowance. You'll already have business car insurance (I hope! Otherwise you're driving uninsured. (Standard insurance won't cover you for driving around multiple customers)) so that part isn't an extra cost for you, but those extra miles and the problems they cause will rack up faster than you think.

Your customer is trying to get the same service for barely any extra charge despite having changed the goalposts. It's not good business sense to go along with that, unless perhaps it's a really cushy job because she's got exceptionally well behaved pets and always gives you a big tip or something. Don't do favours for people you're in business with (that includes friends), always ensure there's something in it for you.

Another thing to consider is your time. If these visits now take half an hour longer for example, that's half an hour when you can't do other work.

It's not just your travel costs though, it's the extra time there and back. Work out how much time and expense it will cost you and charge appropriately.

Thanks everyone for these, I now have a plan. 🐇