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Dog walkers & pet sitterstax guides

Deductions, deadlines, and the platform-specific details that decide how much of your income you actually keep.

Deductions · Featured

The deductions dog walkers miss

Mileage between bookings, the supply closet, insurance, certification, and the platform fee you never see. What each one is worth, and what a full year of tracking adds up to.

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Deductions

The mileage nobody logs

Six short drives a day between bookings is thousands of deductible miles a year. Start counting.

Forms

What Rover actually reports to the IRS

Service fees, gross bookings, and which number belongs on your return.

Forms

No 1099 this year? Still taxable.

The thresholds moved for 2026. Part-time sitters are the most affected — and the most exposed.

Deductions

Boarding dogs at home

Turning part of your home into a boarding business changes your deduction profile.

Deductions

Is pet first aid certification deductible?

Training that maintains or improves skills for your existing business generally is.

Growth

Going independent from the platform

Building a private client book changes your fees, your insurance, and your books.

Where walkers and sitters find clients

Where the work comes from

Every one of these pays without withholding — which is exactly why the books matter.

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