Bookkeeping for pet grooming and boarding businesses
A grooming or boarding business is paid per appointment or per night, takes deposits for holiday stays, and pays groomers and kennel staff in different ways. Mispar separates grooming, boarding and retail income, holds deposits as owed until the stay, and prepares monthly books in your own QuickBooks Online or Xero file. Plans start at $229/mo.
Best for: Mobile and salon groomers, boarding kennels, daycare-and-grooming combinations and small pet resorts.
Tracked
Boarding deposits
Separated
Grooming income
Reconciled
Staff pay
Itemized
Supplies
Where pet grooming and boarding business books usually go wrong
- Boarding deposits booked as income before the stay.
- Grooming and boarding income combined.
- Groomers paid as employees or contractors with unclear records.
How Mispar keeps your pet grooming and boarding businesses books clean
Industry-specific accounts and categorization, with the reporting scope agreed before work starts.
Holiday boarding deposits
Record deposits taken months ahead as owed against the stay, with kept deposits shown only when your policy applies.
Grooming, boarding and daycare income
Keep each service in its own account so a busy holiday week is not mistaken for steady demand.
Groomer commissions and kennel staff
Reconcile commission, hourly and tip pay to payroll or contractor records.
Shampoo, food and supplies
Group grooming supplies, kennel food and cleaning products so spending is easy to compare.
Retail and treats
Track retail sales and treat purchases with their own cost of goods.
Memberships and package visits
Record prepaid grooming packages as owed service until the visits are used.
Insurance, licenses and facility costs
Categorize kennel licensing, liability insurance and facility upkeep as separate lines.
Vaccination and compliance paperwork
Keep fees for records, vet checks and required paperwork apart from service income.
Vet and emergency costs
Record emergency vet bills paid for a guest pet and what the owner repaid.
Reports a pet grooming or boarding business can use
- Revenue by service.
- Deposits held for future stays.
- Groomer pay by person.
A simple, predictable process
From kickoff to your first clean close, here is exactly what happens.
Map services and payments
We list grooming, boarding and daycare services and how clients pay.
Set up service tracking
Each service line and location gets its own accounts.
Reconcile each month
Processor payouts, staff pay, supply bills and rent are matched to the bank.
Deliver monthly statements
Monthly statements arrive ready for your CPA with an open-items list.
Illustrative example
A family books ten nights over the winter holidays and pays a deposit in September. The deposit stays as owed against the stay until the dog checks in, so the fall books show real fall income. This is an illustration of the method, not a customer case or a guarantee.
Pet Grooming and Boarding Businesses bookkeeping — your questions
How are boarding deposits recorded?
As owed against the stay until it happens, using a treatment agreed with your CPA.
Can you separate grooming from boarding?
Yes, as separate income lines with their own costs.
What do you need each month to keep pet grooming and boarding books?
Booking system reports, processor payouts, staff pay records, supply receipts and access to your bank and card feeds.
Can you handle several locations?
Yes. Locations can be tracked separately when income and costs identify them.
Do you give tax advice? (pet grooming and boarding businesses)
No. We keep the books and give them to your CPA.
Can you track emergency vet costs?
Yes. They are listed per animal and per owner until repaid.
How do you treat boarding deposits?
They are held until the stay, then recognized.
Can you handle mobile grooming vans?
Yes. Van costs and mileage get their own lines.
Explore other industries
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Learn more →E-commerce
Multi-channel reconciliation, FIFO/weighted-average inventory, COGS at ship date, and sales-tax nexus done right.
Learn more →Retail
POS reconciliation, COGS, shrinkage, vendor payables, and sales-tax remittance — clean end to end.
Learn more →Customers slow to pay?
Our in-house collections team calls and emails customers who owe your company money, so you can stay focused on the work.