Should dog groomers be paid hourly or by commission?
25 August 2026·2 min read
Hourly pay and commission distribute risk differently. The right model must be lawful where you operate, understandable on a payslip and compatible with the way the grooming team shares work.
Look beyond the headline rate
Hourly pay makes paid time visible and can support cleaning, training, meetings and shared duties. Commission connects pay to sold work but needs clear rules for discounts, redos, assistants, cancellations, tips and services completed by several people.
Hybrid models inherit questions from both. Before choosing, write sample weeks that include quiet time, leave and shared dogs.
The pay model sits above the legal floor. The Fair Work Ombudsman's pet-groomer guidance points standalone grooming businesses to the Miscellaneous Award, while mixed businesses may need another award based on their industry and the employee's principal duties. Check current classification, minimum rates, penalties, overtime, breaks and allowances before designing commission. Commission can't silently replace minimum entitlements.
Watch the behaviour it rewards
A pay system can encourage speed, service value, rebooking or teamwork. It can also make staff avoid difficult dogs, compete for bookings or leave uncredited work to someone else.
Quality, safety and honest timing should never become financially inconvenient. Pair any production measure with clear service and care standards.
Make the calculation inspectable
Document what counts, when it is earned, how corrections work and where a team member can raise a question. Keep the underlying appointments, services and adjustments traceable.
Before implementation, get advice for your jurisdiction and circumstances. Payroll labels do not override employment obligations.
Sample shared dog: a $180 groom uses 30 minutes of bather time and 75 minutes of groomer time. Write whether commission is based on service revenue, collected revenue or attributed stages; how discounts, redos, refunds and tips change it; and how both people are paid for required cleaning and meetings. The payslip calculation should be reproducible from the same facts each time.
Seglo note: Appointment and team records can provide clean operating inputs for your chosen payroll process.