Pet Grooming: Dematting Fee by Time

Excel Formulas › Pet Grooming

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Matted coats turn a one-hour groom into two. Bill dematting in 15-minute blocks — ROUNDUP means a 20-minute detangle bills two blocks, on top of the base groom.


Quick formula: Base groom plus rounded-up 15-minute dematting blocks:
=B2+ROUNDUP(C2/15,0)*D2

An $85 groom with 20 minutes of dematting at $12 per block: 20/15 rounds up to 2 blocks — $109 total.

Functions used (tap for the full reference guide):

The example

Three appointments, each with a base price, dematting minutes, and block fee.

ABCDE
1PetBase groomDematting (min)$ / 15 minTicket
2Goldendoodle$8520$12$109.00
3Persian cat$7545$12$111.00
4Shih Tzu$650$12$65.00

The formula

ROUNDUP turns minutes into whole billable blocks:

=B2+ROUNDUP(C2/15,0)*D2 // base + whole 15-min blocks x block fee

How it works

Time becomes blocks, blocks become dollars:

  1. C2/15 converts dematting minutes into 15-minute blocks.
  2. ROUNDUP(…,0) bills any started block as a whole one — 20 minutes is 2 blocks.
  3. Multiply by the block fee D2 and add the base groom B2.

Zero minutes bills zero blocks — the formula collapses to the base price on mat-free coats.

Try it: interactive demo

Interactive

Enter the base groom, dematting minutes, and fee per 15 minutes.

Variations

Cap the dematting time

Many groomers stop at 30 minutes for the pet's comfort and recommend a shave-down.

=B2+ROUNDUP(MIN(C2,30)/15,0)*D2

Pitfalls & errors

Bill in started blocks (ROUNDUP), not rounded blocks — ROUND would bill 7 minutes as zero.

Note dematting minutes on the ticket while the pet is on the table; reconstructed times get disputed at pickup.

Practice workbook

📊
Download the free Pet Grooming: Dematting Fee by Time practice workbook
Edit the yellow Base, Dematting, and $ / 15 min cells; the Ticket recalculates.

Frequently asked questions

Why 15-minute blocks?
Blocks are easier to defend than per-minute billing and match how grooming software schedules. Any started block bills whole — that is the ROUNDUP.
Should dematting have a cap?
Yes, for humane reasons — most groomers cap at 30 minutes and recommend a shave-down beyond that. Wrap the minutes in MIN(C2,30) to enforce it.

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Related formulas: Pet Grooming: Service Ticket Total · Grooming Price by Size · Round to Quarter Hour

Function references: ROUNDUP