Pet services
Books and taxes for dog walkers.
Rover and Wag payouts, direct-book regulars on Venmo, weekly walking packages, and mileage between houses on your route. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
April came in at $6,600. Two clients paid for a full month of walks up front, so I counted those as the walks actually happened this month, not all on the day they paid.
- Rover payoutApp-booked walks
- Venmo, direct clientDirect-book walks
- Shell fuel, route carVehicle and mileage
- Leashes and waste bagsWalking supplies
- Bonding insurance renewalInsurance
Why your books are different
A dog walker's books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees app payouts and a fuel receipt. Your business is walks paid through several different channels, packages sold before they are delivered, and miles driven between houses all day. The books need to track all of it.
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1
App payouts, cash, and Venmo never get reconciled
Rover takes its cut before it pays you, a direct client pays cash, and another sends Venmo, and if none of it gets matched back to actual walks, you cannot tell what a week of work really earned.
What we doTracks payouts across every channel you use and matches them to actual walks, so your real weekly earnings are visible, not just what lands in one account. -
2
A month of prepaid walks gets counted all at once
A regular client pays for a full month of daily walks up front, and if that payment counts as income the day it clears, the days you actually walk the dog get lost in the shuffle.
What we doCounts walks as they happen, so a prepaid month shows up as income across the days you actually did the work. -
3
Mileage between houses goes untracked
Driving between a dozen houses a day adds up fast, but without a log it never turns into a deduction, and owners guess at year end and leave real money on the table.
What we doKeeps a running mileage total from what you log each week, so a route that feels like nothing turns into a real number by tax time. -
4
A helper walker gets paid like a friend, not tracked like staff
When your route gets too big and you bring on a second walker to cover overflow, paying them in cash or Venmo without any record leaves you with no paper trail and no idea what your real profit is after their pay.
What we doLogs payments to any helper walker as a labor cost, so your profit reflects what you actually keep, and the 1099 list is ready if it applies.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a dog walking business.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- App-booked walksRover and Wag payouts, counted after the app's fee.
- Direct-book walksRegulars who pay you straight through Venmo, cash, or card.
- Weekly and monthly packagesPrepaid walking plans, counted as walks are delivered.
- Pet sitting add-onsOvernight or drop-in visits booked alongside walking clients.
Money out
- Vehicle and mileageFuel and wear on the car used to reach client homes.
- Walking suppliesLeashes, waste bags, and treats.
- InsuranceLiability and bonding coverage for entering client homes.
- Helper walker payPayments to anyone covering overflow walks.
- App feesWhat Rover or Wag keeps before paying you out.
What we watch for you
- Direct-book share
How much of your income comes from regulars who pay you directly versus through an app that takes a cut.
- Mileage total
Miles driven between client homes, tracked so the deduction is not left on the table.
- Package balance
Prepaid walks clients have paid for but you have not yet delivered.
- Helper walker cost
What overflow help costs against the extra walks it lets you take on.
Ask Gus
Things dog walkers ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Only the walks I've marked as done so far. The rest counts as the month goes on, so April shows what you actually walked, not the whole payment at once.
That's worth tracking. Fourteen stops in a week adds up fast, and I would rather total the real number than have you guess at it come April.
It does. I logged it as helper walker pay, and if you pay her $2,000 or more this year, that is above my pay grade to settle alone, so the accountant should confirm what paperwork applies.
The tax side
The tax side of a dog walking business.
Mixed payment channels and prepaid packages make timing and mileage the two things that matter most here.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Mileage on a walking routeA route strung across a dozen houses a day racks up real miles. The standard rate runs 72.5 cents a mile through June 2026 and 76 cents after, and it usually beats guessing at year end.
- Prepaid package income counted as deliveredA month of walks paid up front is not fully earned the day it sells. Gus tracks the balance so income reflects walks actually completed.
- Helper walkers and 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you pay $2,000 or more in 2026 for covering your route gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when app fees, mileage, and helper pay are tracked accurately all year.
Deductions dog walkers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Leashes and waste bags
- Treats and training rewards
- Vehicle mileage between clients
- Liability and bonding insurance
- Phone plan for scheduling
- App booking fees
- Helper walker pay
- GPS tracking app subscription
- Uniforms with your logo
- Local advertising and referral cards
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A dog walking year, kept every month.
Your route stays busy most of the year, and your taxes come on a schedule of their own. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the helper walker 1099 list is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Midyear check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer vacation coverage requests changed the number.
- October
Before the holiday rush
Holiday travel usually means more clients booking coverage. Gus looks at what you might need before December and any moves worth making.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for dog walkers. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions dog walkers ask first.
I get paid through Rover, Venmo, and cash. Can Gus track all of it?
Yes. Every channel you use gets matched back to actual walks, so you see your real weekly earnings across all of it, not just what happens to land in one app or account.
Can I deduct mileage even though I don't drive far between houses?
Usually yes, short trips between client homes still add up over a week. Log the miles and Gus totals them each month so the deduction is not left on the table at tax time.
A client pays for a month of walks up front. When does that count as my income?
As you complete the walks, not the day the payment clears. That keeps a big prepaid month from making your books look stronger than the work you have actually done so far.
I occasionally pay another walker to cover my route. What do I need to know?
Gus logs those payments as a labor cost, and if you pay someone $2,000 or more in a year, they generally need a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list ready as the year goes.
My books have never separated app payouts from direct clients. Can that change?
Yes. Send your bank and app statements and Gus starts sorting them from here forward. Most walkers see a clear picture of their real earnings within a couple of weeks.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever