Pet sitting invoice template

Line items pet sitters and dog walkers actually bill

• Boarding by the night, per pet, with the dates, and whether it's at your home or the client's.
• Day care by the day.
• Drop-in visits by the visit with the length (30 or 60 minutes) and what you do: food, water, litter, medication.
• Overnight house sitting at the client's home by the night.
• Dog walks by the walk, with the length, or as a weekly or monthly count.
• Sales tax as its own line when some lines are taxable and others aren't.

Taking a deposit to hold holiday dates? The deposit invoice template shows how to bill it and subtract it later.

How the example adds up

What-ifs on the same prices. With the form's Tax % field set to 6.625%, every line would be taxed, cat visits included: 6.625% of $608.00 = $40.28, $648.28, which overcharges the family $17.89. In Pennsylvania, Texas or Virginia, where none of these lines is taxed on the documents below: $608.00. In New York City, on our reading of the 2000 pet sitting opinion and the veterinarians bulletin: 8.875% of $608.00 = $53.96, $661.96. The business, the family, the pets, the certificate number and the prices are made up for the arithmetic.

In InvoiceSnap. The tax is a line of its own and Tax % stays at 0, because the form's tax field would tax every line, including the home visits. Your Certificate of Authority number goes in the License field, which prints under your name.

New Jersey: your home or theirs decides the tax

The letter ruling. In LR: 2013-1-SUT (issued September 6, 2013) a certified master dog trainer asked about classes, dog sitting at clients' homes and at her own facility, and selling trained dogs. The Division's starting point: "The Act exempts personal and professional services from Sales Tax, so long as any property transferred is inconsequential and not separately charged for." Sitting at the client's home fell under that exemption; boarding and day care at the trainer's place didn't, because tax applies to charges for "[s]toring all tangible personal property not held for sale in the regular course of business", and the ruling says the trainer "is charging for the safekeeping of the dog." It also says "A Letter Ruling is limited to the facts set forth therein and is binding on the Division of Taxation only with respect to the person or entity to whom it is issued".

The Sales Tax Guide. S&U-4 (Rev. 07/22) lists "Animal Boarding at Seller’s Facility" as taxable and "Pet Sitting at Owner’s Home" as exempt, and on invoices: "Sales Tax must be separately stated on any sales slip, invoice, receipt, or other statement of the price payable." If any of your sales are taxable, the guide says to register first: "Any person or organization engaged in a business, trade, profession, or occupation in New Jersey must register with the State for tax purposes by filing a Business Registration Application, Form NJ-REG, at least 15 business days before starting business or opening an additional place of business in this State."

Rate. "New Jersey has a single rate sales tax for the entire State." (rates page), and the Division's sales tax page (last updated September 28, 2026): "New Jersey assesses a 6.625% Sales Tax on sales of most tangible personal property, specified digital products, and certain services unless specifically exempt under New Jersey law." So 6.625% of $338.00 is $22.3925, rounded to $22.39.

Dog walking, and Pennsylvania, New York, Texas and Virginia

Pennsylvania. The Department of Revenue's Retailer's Information guide (REV-717) lists "Boarding, sitting or walking" under pets as not taxable. It taxes grooming; the dog grooming invoice template has the Pennsylvania wording.

New York. TSB-A-00(35)S (September 7, 2000) answered a Scarsdale pet sitting company whose half-hour visits included walking the dog, refreshing litter and feeding: "pets are considered to be tangible personal property", so the visits were taxed as maintaining and servicing that property. TSB-A-98(81)S (December 2, 1998) told a Manhattan dog walker the opposite for walking alone. The veterinarians bulletin (updated October 16, 2026) gives a boarding example: "A bird is boarded at the local veterinary hospital while the owners are on vacation. The receipts from this boarding service are subject to sales tax." Publication 718 (effective March 1, 2025) lists New York City at 8⅞.

Texas. Comptroller letter 201107187L (July 15, 2011), written to a veterinary practice: "Animal boarding and pet sitting are not taxable services." Unless an exemption applies, the supplies you buy to do the work are taxed when you buy them.

Virginia. Services are generally untaxed under 23VAC10-210-4040. In 2026, HB978, HB900 and SB730 would have changed that; HB978's summary lists "companion animal care" among the services. The Governor's office listed "Dog walking" and "Dog grooming" among the services in those bills and said they died in February. LIS shows each as continued to 2027.

Income tax: what the IRS says

Sales tax is a state question; income tax applies everywhere. The IRS gig economy page says "Gig economy income is taxable". Its Form 1099-K page (updated June 28, 2026) sets the app threshold at over $20,000 in more than 200 transactions and adds: "Whether or not you receive a Form 1099-K, you must still report any income on your tax return." Topic 554 covers self-employment tax at $400 of net earnings. The example's $608.00 of services is income whatever the sales tax treatment.

Where the rules don't line up

• Is a sitter's house a "facility"? New Jersey's ruling and S&U-4 tax boarding at the seller's facility; neither says whether a spare room counts. We treat it as one because the reason given is safekeeping. If you board in your own home, check with the Division.
• Dog walking in New Jersey and Texas. No document we read names it. New Jersey exempts personal services and sitting at the owner's home; Texas doesn't tax pet sitting. Neither says walking is the same thing.
• Dog walking in New York. The 1998 opinion says walking isn't taxed; the 2000 opinion taxes home visits that include a walk, and doesn't mention the 1998 one. Each opinion is limited to the facts of the business that asked.
• Boarding at a sitter's home in New York. The bulletin's example is boarding at a vet hospital, not a private home; taxing the example's boarding in New York is our reading.
• Day care. Named as taxable in New Jersey (at the seller's place); not named in the Pennsylvania guide or the Texas letter, so the $608.00 what-ifs there assume day care is treated like boarding.
• Virginia's bills: dead or continued? The Governor's office says they died on February 18, 2026; LIS says "Continued to 2027". Both can be true for this session; the bills could be taken up again in 2027.
• Age and scope. The New Jersey ruling is from 2013 and S&U-4 from July 2022; the New York opinions are from 1998 and 2000; the Texas letter from 2011. The rate pages are current. Rulings and opinions answer the facts in front of them.

What we did not check

• Every state other than New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Texas and Virginia; local rates other than New York City; New Jersey's reduced-rate zones (S&U-4 describes them for sales of goods).
• Overnight house sitting, pet taxis, waste pickup, medication and training sold with sitting, as their own tax categories; tax on supplies you buy outside Texas.
• How Rover, Wag or any other app reports income or handles sales tax; state income tax; whether you are an employee or self-employed in your situation.
• Kennel licences, local business permits, zoning for boarding at home, insurance and bonding, and typical prices (the example's are made up).

This is a summary of New Jersey letter ruling LR: 2013-1-SUT, Sales Tax Guide S&U-4 and the Division of Taxation's sales tax and rates pages; Pennsylvania's REV-717; New York advisory opinions TSB-A-00(35)S and TSB-A-98(81)S, the veterinarians bulletin and Publication 718; Texas Comptroller letter 201107187L; 23VAC10-210-4040, the Virginia Governor's April 13, 2026 release and the LIS pages for HB978, HB900 and SB730; and the IRS gig economy, Form 1099-K and Topic 554 pages, as read on October 25, 2026, not legal or tax advice. Check with the New Jersey Division of Taxation, the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, the Texas Comptroller, Virginia Tax, the IRS, or your accountant.

FAQ

How do I make a pet sitting or dog walking invoice or receipt?

One line per kind of service, with the count in Qty and the price per unit: 5 × $60.00 for five nights of boarding, 10 × $27.00 for ten visits, or for a dog walker 12 × $25.00 for twelve walks in a month. Put the dates in the description or the notes so the client can match them to the trip. If only some lines are taxable, work out the tax on those lines and add it as a line of its own, leaving the Tax % field at 0. A receipt is the same document marked paid: write the payment date and method in the notes once the client pays. In InvoiceSnap the totals update as you type and the free preview PDF shows the finished invoice.

Is pet sitting taxable in New Jersey?

Not when you do it at the client's home. In a 2013 letter ruling to a dog trainer who also sat dogs, the Division of Taxation said: "Taxpayer’s charges for dog sitting services that take place at the client’s home are considered an exempt personal service transaction so long as any property that is transferred is inconsequential and not separately charged for." The state's Sales Tax Guide (S&U-4) lists "Pet Sitting at Owner’s Home" as exempt. That's why line 3 of the example, ten cat visits at $27.00, carries no tax.

Is boarding a dog at my own home taxable in New Jersey?

Yes, on our reading. The same 2013 ruling: "However, Taxpayer must charge tax on charges for animal boarding or “day care” when such services occur at the Taxpayer’s facility because Taxpayer is charging for the safekeeping of the dog." S&U-4 lists "Animal Boarding at Seller’s Facility" as taxable. Neither document says whether a sitter's own house counts as a facility; we treat it as one, because the reason given is safekeeping, which is the same in a spare room as in a kennel. The example taxes the five nights and the trial day: 6.625% of $338.00 = $22.39.

Is dog day care taxable?

In New Jersey, yes at your own place: the 2013 ruling names "day care" alongside boarding. The other documents we read don't name day care: Pennsylvania's retailer guide lists "Boarding, sitting or walking" as not taxable, and a 2011 Texas Comptroller letter says "Animal boarding and pet sitting are not taxable services." We didn't find a New York document on day care.

Is dog walking taxable?

It depends on the state, and few documents name it. Pennsylvania: not taxable ("Boarding, sitting or walking" is on the not-taxable list in REV-717). New York: a 1998 advisory opinion to a Manhattan dog walker says "Dog walking is not among these enumerated services subject to sales tax.", but a 2000 opinion taxed a pet sitting company whose half-hour home visits included walking the dog. Virginia: services are generally untaxed ("Charges for services generally are exempt from the retail sales and use tax."). New Jersey and Texas: no document we read names dog walking, so we don't say.

Is there a new dog walking tax in Virginia?

No, not as of October 25, 2026. Three 2026 bills would have extended sales tax to a list of services, and the Governor's office counts dog walking and dog grooming among them; none passed. The Governor's office said on April 13, 2026: "The following bills died in the General Assembly on February 18, 2026, when the legislation did not get sent to the opposite chamber for consideration because the bills did not pass — or even come up for a vote — in their chamber of origin." The Legislative Information System lists all three (HB978, HB900, SB730) with "Status: Continued" and "Continued to 2027", so they could come back in the 2027 session. HB900's summary says it "expands such tax to taxable services, defined in the bill, and digital personal property, also defined in the bill, beginning on January 1, 2027." HB978's would have exempted "services provided by a person who does not receive more than $2,500 per year in gross receipts for performance of such services."

Is pet sitting taxable in New York?

The Department's 2000 advisory opinion to a pet sitting company says yes: pets are property, and "Accordingly, the services provided by Petitioner are subject to State and local sales taxes." It makes two exceptions: work for guide, hearing and service dogs ("services provided by Petitioner with respect to such dogs will not be subject to tax.") and "pet sitting services rendered by an individual who is hired directly by a private home owner or lessee, and who does not offer these services to the public as part of a regular trade or business, are not subject to sales tax." On our reading the example in New York City (8⅞% in Publication 718) would be taxed in full: 8.875% of $608.00 = $53.96, $661.96 in all. Each advisory opinion is limited to the facts of the business that asked.

Is pet sitting or boarding taxable in Texas?

No. A 2011 Comptroller letter: "Animal boarding and pet sitting are not taxable services." The same paragraph adds that "those individuals providing boarding and pet sitting services owe tax on supplies, materials and equipment used to provide their services." So in Texas the example would carry no sales tax: $608.00. Grooming is different: Texas taxes it, as the dog grooming invoice template on this site shows.

Is pet sitting taxable in Pennsylvania?

No. The Department of Revenue's Retailer's Information guide (REV-717) lists "Boarding, sitting or walking" under pets as not taxable. Day care isn't named. On that list the example would carry no sales tax in Pennsylvania: $608.00.

Is pet sitting income taxable?

Yes. The IRS gig economy page: "You must report income earned from the gig economy on a tax return, even if the income is:" from part-time, temporary or side work, not reported on a 1099 or W-2, or "Paid in any form, including cash, property, goods, or virtual currency". Sales tax and income tax are separate: the $270.00 of cat visits in the example is untaxed for New Jersey sales tax but is still income.

Will Rover or a payment app send me a 1099-K?

Only above a threshold, though the income is reportable either way. The IRS: "A payment app or online marketplace is required to send you a Form 1099-K if the payments you received for goods or services total over $20,000 in more than 200 transactions. However, they may send you a Form 1099-K with lower amounts and/or transactions." Card payments you take directly are different: "you'll get a Form 1099-K from your payment card processor no matter how many payments you got or how much they were for." And: "No matter the amount of reported payments, if you receive payments for selling goods or services, you must report all income on your tax return." We didn't check how any particular app reports.

Do I owe self-employment tax on pet sitting?

If you sit pets for yourself rather than as someone's employee, probably. IRS Topic 554: "You usually must pay self-employment tax if you had net earnings from self-employment of $400 or more." and "This rate consists of 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare taxes." Net earnings means what's left after business expenses, and "Generally, the amount subject to self-employment tax is 92.35% of your net earnings from self-employment."

Is dog training taxable in New Jersey?

Classes aren't, according to the same 2013 letter ruling: "Taxpayer’s charges for teaching a professional dog training class are not subject to tax whether the service occurs at a client’s house or at Taxpayer’s facility." Selling a dog you've trained is a sale of the dog, taxed in full, training included. The ruling binds the Division only for the business that asked.

Is InvoiceSnap free?

Yes. You can fill in the invoice and download a watermarked preview PDF free with no signup. A clean PDF is $4 one-time for 7 days of unlimited invoices (USDC; card coming soon).

Is my data uploaded?

No. The PDF is generated in your browser; your client and pricing details are not sent to a server.

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