Deduction guide
Pet sitter taxes: what you can actually deduct
Dog walking, pet sitting, boarding, drop-ins. If you got a 1099 for this work, here's what counts — and what PrivateBooks sets up for you automatically.
Worth knowing
These are the write-offs people in this line of work most often miss — or claim wrongly. Anything marked in orange is an edge case worth raising with a preparer rather than assuming.
Platform fees — the big one
Rover and Wag keep roughly a fifth of every booking. That service fee is a deductible commission — PrivateBooks books it separately so you never pay tax on money you never received.
~20% typical cut
Mileage between clients
Driving between walks and drop-in visits is business mileage. PrivateBooks logs it at the IRS standard rate for the tax year.
$0.70 / mile 2025 rate
Insurance & bonding
Liability insurance covers you if an animal in your care gets hurt; 'bonding' is a similar protection clients sometimes ask for — if you pay for either, the premiums are deductible.
fully deductible business policy
Gear & certifications
GPS trackers, pet first-aid kits, winter work gear, and your pet first-aid certification course all count — they're part of doing the job safely. A platform background-check fee counts too.
keep receipts tracked
Your pets vs. client supplies
Treats, leashes, and waste bags bought for client pets are deductible supplies. Your own pets' costs are personal — keep them separate when you shop.
keep separate audit-safe
What PrivateBooks pre-loads
Pick Pet sitter during guided setup and your books start with these categories, each already mapped to its real Schedule C line — no chart of accounts to invent:
| Category | Schedule C line |
|---|---|
| Platform fees (Rover, Wag) | Line 10 — Commissions and fees |
| Pet supplies & treats | Line 22 — Supplies |
| Mileage between clients | Line 9 — Car and truck expenses |
| Insurance & bonding | Line 15 — Insurance (other than health) |
| Licenses & permits | Line 23 — Taxes and licenses |
| Phone bill (work %) | Line 27b — Other (phone & internet) |
| Gear & first-aid supplies | Line 22 — Supplies |
| Certifications & courses | Line 27b — Other (education & training) |
| Advertising & profile boosts | Line 8 — Advertising |
Merchants it recognises automatically
On top of the 578 built-in sorting rules, this pack adds rules for Fetch Pet, Pet Sitters Int, Petcareins, Rover *, Rover.Com, Wag Walking, Wag! — so those transactions land in the right category the moment you import a statement. Anything it isn't sure about goes to Review instead of being guessed at.
Do you even have to file?
If you netted $400 or more from self-employment in a year, you generally have to file and pay self-employment tax — even if nobody sent you a 1099, and even if you also have a W-2 job. Nothing was withheld from this income, which is why setting money aside matters.
Educational pointers, not tax advice. Tax rules change and your situation is specific — worth asking about at tax time. The free IRS-sponsored VITA program helps people under its income threshold at no cost.