New helpers ask us this more than anything else: “What should I charge?” There’s no single right number, but there is a wrong way to pick one, which is to guess low and hope. Here is how helpers who stay busy on Poppynz work it out.
Start with what families near you pay
Rates on Poppynz are set by helpers, in CAD, per service. Looking across active profiles in Mississauga and Ottawa this summer, the middle of the range looks like this:
$28/hr
In-home care for one or two children, evenings and weekends included.
$32/hr
Grades 1 to 6, homework help and reading. ECE or teaching background pushes this up.
$26/hr
Cooking in the family’s kitchen, usually a two or three hour block.
Treat these as a reference, not a rule. Helpers with a first-aid certificate, an ECE diploma or a PSW certificate sit above the middle. Someone new to paid care work sits a little below it, for a while.
Set a rate per service, not one number
Your profile lists each service you offer with its own hourly rate. That’s deliberate. Meal prep and tutoring ask different things of you, and families understand that they cost different amounts. A single flat rate usually means you’re underpaid for the hard work and overpriced for the easy work.
If you offer something not on the standard list, such as piano practice supervision or help with a newborn overnight, add it as a custom service with its own rate. Families search by service, so a specific line brings you specific requests.
How the 15% service fee works
Families see your rate. After each tracked session you receive that rate minus the 15% Poppynz service fee, in CAD, to your linked account. The fee covers payments, the written agreement, session tracking, messaging and support. There is no sign-up fee, no monthly fee, and no charge for requesting your background checks through Credibled.
A three-hour session at $28/hr
- Your rate × 3 hours: $84.00
- Poppynz service fee, 15%: − $12.60
- You receive: $71.40 CAD
Work backwards from what you need to take home. If $25 an hour is your floor, a listed rate of $29.50 gets you there after the fee. Families pay your rate plus a 5% service fee on their side, which you never see.
When to raise it
Raise your rate when your profile has earned it, not when a month feels thin. The signals families actually read are completed agreements, reviews, and the Major-domo title, which marks helpers with a sustained record on Poppynz. Once you have a few of those, a higher rate stops looking like a gamble to them.
- Change the rate on your profile first. It applies to new agreements only. Existing agreements keep the rate written in them until both of you update it.
- Tell your regular families before they see it. A message a couple of weeks ahead, with the new rate and the date it starts, is enough. Most say yes.
- Move in small steps. Two dollars an hour every six months lands better than eight dollars once.
A rate you can stand behind
The test is simple. If a family asks why you charge what you charge, you should have a one-sentence answer that doesn’t start with “sorry”. Your training, your track record, what similar helpers nearby charge, and what you need to make the work sustainable are all good sentences. “I wasn’t sure” isn’t.
Underpricing doesn’t make you kind. It makes you tired, and tired helpers leave. Charge what lets you keep showing up.
