Veterinary Practice Pricing: Charge with Confidence

Key takeaways

• In Germany, the GOT sets each fee at between one and three times the base rate (GOT 2022, Section 2).
• For emergency services, the range increases to 2 to 4 times the base rate, plus an emergency service fee of 50 Euro net.
• Austria has had no binding fee rates since 1 August 2016; the veterinary chamber’s fee recommendations are non-binding.
• Discounts reduce the perceived value of your services. Communicating value has a more lasting effect than cutting prices.
• Consistent price conversations across your team and regular reviews of key metrics help keep your practice financially stable.

Charging with confidence means knowing your scope and using it. In Germany, the veterinary fee schedule (GOT) gives you a clear range from one to three times the base rate, and you decide where to charge within it. Pricing in a veterinary practice therefore comes down to clear rules, good communication and a few key metrics.

Yet many practices stay at the lower end. Not because their services are worth less, but because talking about prices feels uncomfortable. That can change. In this article, I walk you through how the GOT works, why discounts are usually the wrong approach, how to explain the value of your services, how to keep your team consistent and which figures to track.

How does the GOT fee range work?

In Germany, the GOT sets each fee at between one and three times the base rate (GOT 2022, Section 2). This means you can charge 1, 2 or 3 times the base rate for the same service, with intermediate rates also permitted. The GOT is a statutory regulation, so compliance is mandatory.

The base rate is the legal minimum. You cannot charge below it. This protects the entire profession from price dumping, and it protects you too. The standard range tops out at 3 times the base rate. If you want to exceed that outside emergency hours, you need a written justification.

The underlying principle matters: the rate reflects the work involved. A difficult examination of an anxious animal, more time, more experience, greater responsibility. All of these justify a higher multiplier. You simply need to choose it deliberately rather than defaulting to the base rate.

Legal note: This article is not a substitute for legal advice. If you are unsure how the GOT applies in a specific case, consult your veterinary chamber or a specialist adviser.

What applies to emergency services?

The range changes for emergency services. Instead of 1 to 3 times the base rate, it becomes 2 to 4 times the base rate (GOT 2022, Section 2). You are also entitled to an emergency service fee of 50 Euro net. This fee applies once per case, regardless of how many animals are treated or how long treatment takes. This provides clear rules for nights, weekends and public holidays.

What applies in Austria and Switzerland?

Austria has had no binding fee rates since 1 August 2016 (Austrian Veterinary Chamber). Since then, the chamber’s fee recommendations have served only as non-binding guidance. Each practice calculates its fees independently based on its own cost structure.

For you, that means more freedom and more responsibility. Without a fixed framework, you need to calculate your prices carefully yourself, or you can quickly end up undercharging. The chamber’s recommendations are a good starting point, but they are not law.

In Switzerland, that freedom goes even further. Competition law prohibits even binding fee schedules and price recommendations issued by professional associations. Each practice sets its prices entirely independently. This explains the large regional differences. Charging with confidence here requires your own sound cost calculations.

Why are discounts rarely the best strategy?

Discounts feel like a friendly gesture in the short term, but reduce the perceived value of your work over time. Give clients 20 percent off once, and you teach them to ask again next time. In Germany, there is another consideration: the base GOT rate is the minimum, so you cannot lower your fees as far as you like.

The real problem is psychological. A discount sends an unspoken message: "The price was too high in the first place." That is exactly the message you do not want to send. It is better to explain your standard price than to cut it.

There are practical alternatives that preserve value:

• Offer payment in instalments instead of lowering the price.
• Create preventive care packages that bundle several services and make them easier to plan for.
• Provide transparent cost estimates before treatment to avoid surprises.
• Clearly explain what the price covers: time, materials, follow-up care and responsibility.

My dog Siegfried, a Hanoverian Scenthound, once needed extensive follow-up care. What helped me as an owner was not a discount, but the practice explaining beforehand why each step was necessary. The same principle applies in your practice: understanding beats a price reduction.

How do you communicate the value of your services?

Communicating value means putting the benefit before the price. Pet owners are not paying for a line on an invoice; they are paying for their animal’s health. When you make that clear, the price becomes a logical outcome rather than a point of contention.

Three principles help in day-to-day practice:

1. The reason first, then the figure. Explain why an examination is necessary before stating the price.
2. Describe the work involved. Explain what you will do, how long it will take and the experience behind it.
3. Stay calm without becoming defensive. You are providing a professional service, not doing someone a favour.

In practice, that means replacing "That will be 80 Euro" with "I’ll examine the joint thoroughly, take X-rays if needed and discuss the next steps with you. My fee for that is..." The price comes at the end of a sentence that has already established the value.

You can practise this approach. If you want to sharpen your positioning and how you present your practice, take a look at a systematic approach to attracting clients to your veterinary practice. Good price communication starts long before the consultation room.

How do you keep price conversations consistent across your team?

Consistent price conversations only happen when everyone on the team understands the same approach. Nothing undermines your pricing faster than reception staff tentatively offering discounts out of uncertainty while you explain the full rate in the consultation room. Pricing policy is a team effort.

Here is how to put that approach into practice:

• Document which GOT multiplier applies to each standard service.
• Define who prepares cost estimates and how they are worded.
• Practise difficult conversations together, such as responding to "That’s too expensive for me".
• Agree that no one decides on discounts alone.

Petra, my female Heide Terrier, regularly takes me to different practices. The difference is noticeable: when the team communicates clearly and consistently, the price feels fair. When everyone says something different, mistrust develops. Consistency builds trust, and trust supports your pricing.

A short internal pricing handbook is often enough. One agreed page per service category, accessible to everyone. That way, everyone speaks with one voice.

Which metrics should you track?

From a business perspective, you manage your practice using a small number of important metrics. Without them, you do not know whether your average GOT multiplier even covers your costs. Charging with confidence starts with knowing your numbers.

Include these metrics in your monthly review:

• Average invoice amount per patient, as a rough indicator of your pricing level.
• Average GOT multiplier applied, to see whether you default to the base rate too often.
• Contribution margin by service category: what remains after direct costs.
• Capacity utilisation and treatment time per case, to price the work involved realistically.
• Outstanding payments and payment behaviour, to ensure you get paid for the services you provide.

If you notice that your average multiplier barely rises above the minimum, that is a clear signal. Either your cases really are straightforward, or you are leaving room to charge unused. Usually, it is the latter. An honest look at these figures shows you where you are undercharging, without having to promise anyone anything or dress things up.

Your next step

This week, choose just one service that you have been automatically billing at the lowest rate. Review the actual work involved, deliberately choose an appropriate multiplier within the permitted range and write a sentence that explains the value. Then try it in your next conversation. Small steps change how you feel about pricing more than any major overhaul.

If you want to know where your practice stands financially, take Schnauze’s free business check. It helps you assess your pricing, communication and figures objectively, and shows you where to focus next.

Frequently asked questions

Can I charge 3 times the GOT base rate in Germany?

Yes. During regular consultation hours, the fee range runs from one to three times the base rate. To charge more than 3 times the base rate outside emergency hours, you need a written justification.

Does the GOT also apply in Austria and Switzerland?

No. The GOT is a German regulation. In Austria, practices have been free to calculate their own fees since 2016, while Swiss competition law even prohibits fee recommendations. Each practice in these countries sets its own prices.

What additional charges apply to emergency services?

Under the GOT 2022, you are entitled to an emergency service fee of 50 Euro net. In addition, the fee range increases to 2 to 4 times the base rate.

Are discounts allowed in veterinary practices?

In Germany, the GOT sets the base rate as the minimum. You cannot charge below it. Discounts are therefore only permitted within that framework and rarely make financial sense.