Relief Veterinarian Compensation: What General Practice Owners Need to Know and Plan For

Relief veterinarians have become an indispensable part of the veterinary workforce, and the compensation they command has evolved significantly over the past three years. Between 2022 and 2025, demand for flexible, short-term veterinary coverage surged in response to widespread staffing shortages, clinician burnout, and growing pet care needs. As a result, general practice owners can no longer treat relief compensation as an afterthought. Understanding the latest benchmarks and market dynamics is critical for adjusting hiring, budgeting, and retention strategies accordingly.

Relief Vets Continue to Command a Premium

Relief veterinarians are no longer just stopgap solutions. They are often highly experienced clinicians who bring flexibility and short-term continuity to veterinary practices during periods of turnover, vacation, or expansion. In exchange for this agility, they now command significantly higher hourly rates than full-time associate veterinarians.

According to 2023 VHMA survey data, the median hourly rate for relief veterinarians in small animal practice was $100/hour, while full-time associate vets earned closer to $86/hour in the same settings. Data from the relief vet platform Roo shows even higher rates: in 2023, the average U.S. relief vet using Roo earned $135/hour, which increased to $144/hour in 2024. In comparison, the mean national hourly wage for veterinarians overall was approximately $65.63/hour in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Some urban markets pay substantially more. In late 2024, relief veterinarians in the New York City area averaged $176/hour, while Los Angeles and Philadelphia saw rates in the $170–173/hour range. High demand, limited clinician availability, and elevated cost of living contribute to these premiums.

Relief Work Is Now a Career Path, Not Just a Side Gig

Historically, relief work was viewed as a temporary or transitional choice. That is no longer the case. Increasing numbers of veterinarians — particularly mid-career clinicians — are choosing relief as a permanent career path due to the autonomy, income potential, and flexibility it offers. Roo’s 2024 data showed that some full-time relief veterinarians earned over $300,000/year, with a few exceeding $400,000, by working a full schedule of shifts at prevailing rates.

This shift has implications for practice owners: competing for DVM talent now means competing with the income, freedom, and lifestyle of relief work. Practices unable to offer comparable flexibility or compensation risk losing candidates — or seeing associates depart for relief careers.

Trends Indicate Slower Rate of Increase

While compensation for relief veterinarians remains historically high, multiple industry reports suggest that the rate of increase in pay may be slowing. After significant jumps from 2021 to 2023, more recent data from 2024 indicates that while rates are still rising, the growth is more moderate. Roo reported a 6.7% year-over-year increase from 2023 to 2024, down from double-digit growth in prior years.

Looking ahead, the VHMA’s 2025 Associate DVM compensation report—currently under survey—will provide updated benchmarks. Roo’s 6.7% pay increase in 2024 (versus double-digit growth in earlier years) and VHMA leader statements both indicate wage increases are stabilizing. Practices should expect continued relief vet rate increases—but at a more moderate and predictable pace.

Industry analysts also note that as more veterinarians enter the relief workforce and more practices stabilize their staffing, market dynamics may shift toward equilibrium. Additionally, some corporate and independent practices are moving to control labor costs by offering longer-term relief contracts or emphasizing associate retention strategies. While this does not suggest rates will decline, it does point toward more sustainable growth going forward.

Budgeting and Recruiting Should Reflect Market Realities

To remain competitive and avoid disruptions in care, general practices need to recalibrate compensation planning. This includes:

• Revisiting associate salary benchmarks: If your pay scale hasn’t been updated since before 2022, it is likely below market.
• Accounting for relief coverage in the budget: Relief coverage should not be treated as a last-minute cost. Build it into annual staffing budgets and forecast based on likely PTO, turnover, and seasonality.
• Offering flexibility to retain associates: One driver behind the growth in relief work is dissatisfaction with rigid schedules. Practices offering partial remote work, flexible scheduling, or hybrid models may reduce attrition.

Planning Recommendations

1. Benchmarking. Update regularly. Watch for the 2025 VHMA report when released. What was competitive six months ago may now be outdated. Benchmark locally and refine pay scales accordingly.
2. Explore guaranteed pay and benefits for long-term relief roles. To attract recurring or semi-permanent relief vets, consider structured arrangements that offer predictable income. Relief vets usually do not receive PTO, CE, or insurance. Offering these for in-house roles adds comparative value even if base pay is lower.
3. Incorporate benefits into total compensation. Relief vets usually do not receive PTO, CE, or insurance. Offering these for in-house roles adds comparative value even if raw pay is lower.
4. Plan for steady growth. Expect relief vet rates to continue rising, though more steadily. Assume a 5–7% annual increase unless local factors demand more aggressive growth.
5. Retain institutional knowledge. Use relief coverage strategically — but ensure core cases and culture are maintained by full-time staff.
6. Compare staffing models. Platforms like IndeVets offer W‑2 relief roles with full benefits and specialty shift premiums; Serenity Vet adds production bonuses and overtime tracking; Relief Rover lets relief vets set their rates and keep 100% of earnings. Each model has implications for both vet satisfaction and your clinic’s costs.
7. Watch and compare mid-tier pay ranges. For example: IndeVets vets averages $67/hr and Holiday Vet reports $59/hr, while platforms like Roo and Relief Rover trend closer to or above $130/hr. Select your staffing strategy accordingly.

Closing Observations

The relief veterinarian landscape has changed dramatically. High hourly rates are often the norm, and many clinics rely on this workforce not only to stay open but to grow. Understanding how and why compensation has shifted is vital for every practice owner making staffing decisions in the coming year.