Accounting for pet groomers in Ontario
Pet grooming shops run appointment revenue, retail product sales, and groomers who may be employees or chair-renters.
CRA EFILE authorized · Every filing signed by an accountant · Switching is free — about an hour of your time
taxifi · Pet Groomers
This month
- Bookkeeping Current
- Payroll & source deductions Filed
- HST Filed
- Year-end tax (T2) On track
The problems we take off your plate
Appointments and retail
Service and retail product revenue are tracked separately, with inventory kept current.
Groomers: renting or employed
Rental income is tracked apart from service revenue, and groomer status is handled correctly for tax.
Payroll and year-end
Staff are paid on schedule with source deductions to CRA on time and T4s ready at year-end.
What’s included
Published prices for incorporated Ontario pet groomers. Everything below is handled.
- Service and retail revenue bookkeeping
- Payroll or contractor reporting for groomers
- HST returns prepared and filed
- Year-end corporate tax (T2), from $1,000 a year
- Owner pay planning
| Area | A typical setup | With taxifi |
|---|---|---|
| Your books | Weeks or months behind | Current every day |
| Year-end (T2) | A spring scramble, billed extra | Included, no surprise invoice |
| Your accountant | Metered by the hour | Unlimited questions, flat monthly |
Services, retail, and the receipts that decide your margin
Grooming services are generally taxable, so HST applies to the appointment and the HST you pay on shampoos, clippers, table equipment, and utilities generally comes back as input tax credits. That two-way flow is simple in principle and leaky in practice: uncaptured supplier receipts mean credits you were entitled to and never claimed.
The second issue is that most grooming businesses are quietly two businesses — a service book and a retail shelf — with different margins. If both land in one undifferentiated revenue line, you cannot see which one is actually paying the rent. Splitting them in the books is a small setup decision that changes what you know about your own business every month.
Common questions
My groomers rent space. How is that handled?
Rental income is tracked separately from service revenue, and groomer status is handled correctly.
Do you work with incorporated shops?
Yes. Incorporated grooming businesses are a good fit.
Do pet groomers charge HST in Ontario?
Generally yes, once you are registered — grooming is a taxable service. The offset is that HST on your products, equipment, and operating costs becomes input tax credits, so complete receipt capture directly affects what you actually remit. Registration is generally required once taxable revenue passes the $30,000 small-supplier threshold.
Should retail product sales be tracked separately from grooming?
Yes. Services and retail carry different margins and different cost structures, and blending them into one revenue line hides which side of the business is profitable. Separated revenue lines let you price deliberately rather than by feel — and it costs nothing but a correct chart of accounts.
Books and taxes for your pet grooming business, done
Bookkeeping from $99 a month, accountant-reviewed from $299, corporate T2 from $1,000 a year. Prices are published; a call confirms the fit.
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