Pet services
Books and taxes for mobile dog groomers.
Driveway appointments billed by the visit, route fuel between stops, van financing payments, and generator and water tank upkeep. 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
June came in at $8,200. The van's generator needed a real repair this month, so I logged it against the van, not general supplies.
- Square, driveway payoutGrooming appointments
- Van loan paymentVehicle financing
- Shell fuel, grooming vanFuel and route costs
- Generator repairVan equipment
- Double K supply orderGrooming supplies
Why your books are different
Mobile grooming books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees a van payment and a fuel receipt. Your business is a rolling grooming station financed like a second vehicle, water and power systems that need their own upkeep, and a route that eats gas every day. The books need to track all of it.
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1
The van gets treated like a personal vehicle
A grooming van is really mobile equipment on wheels, not just a way to get around. Filed like a regular business vehicle, the financing, the build-out, and the water and power systems all get muddled together.
What we doTracks the van's financing separately from route fuel and repairs, so you can see what the rolling equipment actually costs you each month. -
2
Route fuel gets guessed at instead of tracked
Driving a full day of driveway stops burns real fuel, but without tracking it against your route, you cannot tell whether a day's appointments actually covered what it cost to get there.
What we doKeeps route fuel on its own line so you can compare what a day of stops earned against what it cost to drive it. -
3
Generator and water tank repairs get lost as random expenses
A generator repair or a water heater fix on the van looks like a one-off charge with no obvious home in the books, and it gets buried in miscellaneous costs instead of counted as what it is.
What we doLogs generator, water tank, and power system repairs as van equipment costs, so they show up where they belong. -
4
A cancellation fee looks like a random deposit
A client cancels last minute and pays a fee for the wasted drive time, and in the bank feed it looks identical to a normal grooming payment with no note about why it is smaller than usual.
What we doNotes cancellation fees separately from full grooming appointments, so a short payment does not look like an error.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a mobile dog grooming 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
- Grooming appointmentsDriveway visits paid by card at the van.
- Cancellation feesCharges for last-minute cancellations that still cost you drive time.
- Add-on servicesNail trims, teeth brushing, and deshedding treatments booked with a visit.
- Membership route plansRecurring monthly slots for regulars who book the same week each time.
Money out
- Vehicle financingLoan or lease payments for the grooming van.
- Fuel and route costsGas for driving between driveway stops each day.
- Van equipmentGenerator, water tank, and power system repairs.
- Grooming suppliesShampoo, blades, combs, and towels.
- InsuranceVehicle and liability coverage for on-site grooming.
- Booking softwareScheduling and route planning tools.
What we watch for you
- Fuel per stop
What a day's route costs in gas against how many appointments it covered.
- Van cost total
Financing plus repairs on the van, tracked so you know what the rolling equipment really costs.
- Cancellation rate
How often last-minute cancellations cost you a wasted drive.
- Supply cost per appointment
What shampoo and blades cost per visit, so a bulk order does not confuse the picture.
Ask Gus
Things mobile dog groomers 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.
I logged it as van equipment, kept apart from your regular supplies, so you can see what keeping the rig running actually costs you.
I noted it as a cancellation fee, not a full grooming payment, so a smaller amount that day does not look like an error.
That's a bigger call than I can make alone. A second van and an employee change your setup enough that the accountant should walk through it with you first.
The tax side
The tax side of a mobile dog grooming business.
The van is the biggest tax question here. What it costs, how it is financed, and how much of its life is business use all matter.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- The grooming van as equipmentA grooming van's build-out, generator, and water systems can often be written off as business equipment, separate from the vehicle itself. Section 179 expensing and 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025 both may apply.
- Vehicle expenses, actual cost or mileageYou can generally deduct actual van costs like fuel, repairs, and insurance, or use the standard mileage rate, 72.5 cents a mile through June 2026 and 76 cents after. The accountant helps decide which fits your route better.
- Cancellation and travel feesFees charged for wasted drive time on a cancellation are ordinary business income, not a special category, and get counted the same as any other service revenue.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when van costs and route income are tracked accurately all year.
Deductions mobile dog groomers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Grooming van financing interest
- Fuel for the route
- Generator and water tank repairs
- Shampoo and coat products
- Blades, combs, and shears
- Grooming table and tub on the van
- Vehicle insurance
- Booking and route software
- Uniforms and aprons
- Continuing education courses
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 mobile grooming year, kept every month.
Your route runs all year, and your taxes come on their own schedule. 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, and a monthly set-aside is planned around your typical route income.
- 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 shedding season changed the number.
- October
Before winter routes
Cold weather changes route timing and van upkeep needs. Gus looks at equipment worth buying before December.
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 mobile dog groomers. 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 mobile dog groomers ask first.
Can I write off the van's generator and water system separately from the vehicle?
Usually yes. The build-out equipment on a grooming van is generally treated as its own asset apart from the vehicle, and it can often be written off in the year you buy it. Gus logs it separately so the accountant can decide.
Should I use the mileage rate or track actual van expenses?
It depends on your route and your van's costs. Gus tracks both fuel and mileage so the accountant can compare which one gives you the better deduction for your situation.
A client cancels and I still charge a fee. Does that count as regular income?
Yes, it is ordinary business income like any appointment payment, just smaller. Gus notes it as a cancellation fee so it does not look like a pricing error in your monthly number.
My income depends entirely on how many stops I can fit in a day. Can Gus track that?
Yes. Gus tracks fuel against appointments so you can see what a route actually earns after what it costs to drive, which helps when you are deciding how tight to pack your schedule.
I'm behind on separating van repairs from my personal accounts. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send your bank and card statements and Gus sorts what belongs to the van and the business from what is personal. Most owners are caught up within a week.
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