If you walk dogs or pet-sit in Canada, most of your clients want to pay the same way: a quick Interac e-Transfer after the visit. The trick is making it effortless to bill them, keep a clean record, and know when the Canada Revenue Agency expects you to start charging tax. Here's the short version.
What to put on a dog-walking invoice
You don't need accounting software to send a proper invoice — you need the right details on it. A clean dog-walking invoice has:
- Your name or business name and a way to reach you.
- The client's name (and the pet's name — it reads warmer and avoids mix-ups).
- An invoice number and the date.
- What you did — "5 × 30-minute walks, week of June 2" beats a single lump sum.
- The total, and GST/HST as a separate line if you're registered (more on that below).
- How to pay — your Interac e-Transfer email and a note to put the invoice number in the message.
If you want a head start, our free invoice generator produces a clean PDF with e-Transfer instructions already on it.
Getting paid by e-Transfer
Interac e-Transfer is free for the recipient, instant, and every Canadian client already has it set up — which is exactly why it's the default for pet-care work. Two things make it painless:
- Turn on Autodeposit so you're not answering security questions for every walk.
- Ask clients to put the invoice number in the message field so you can match the payment to the right invoice later.
Heads up on limits: most banks cap e-Transfers around $3,000 per transfer. That's rarely an issue for weekly walks, but for a big monthly boarding bill you may need to split it or use another method. Limits vary by bank — see the bank-by-bank breakdown.
The $30,000 GST/HST line
You generally don't have to charge GST/HST until your business revenue crosses $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters (the CRA "small supplier" threshold). Below it, registration is optional; above it, you're expected to register and start charging tax. For a busy dog walker doing daily visits, that line arrives faster than people expect — a few recurring clients can get you there in a year.
The catch is that it sneaks up on you. That's the whole reason we built the e-Transfer income tracker: forward your Interac notification emails and it adds up your income automatically, so you see the threshold coming instead of finding out at tax time. For the rules in plain English, read the GST/HST threshold guide.
A simple book → walk → bill → get-paid loop
Most solo walkers run their whole business out of texts and a notes app. A lighter loop:
- A client requests a walk (a shareable booking link beats back-and-forth texts).
- You schedule it and do the visit.
- Marking it done turns into an invoice automatically — priced from your service list.
- The client pays by e-Transfer, and the payment reconciles against the invoice.
That's the loop Biller is built around for Canadian pet-care businesses — book it, do it, bill it, and track every e-Transfer toward the GST/HST line.
Common questions
Do I have to charge GST/HST as a dog walker?
Not until you cross the $30,000 small-supplier threshold over four consecutive quarters. After that, you're generally expected to register and charge it. Some walkers register earlier to claim input tax credits — that's a judgment call worth discussing with an accountant.
Is a receipt different from an invoice?
An invoice asks for payment; a receipt confirms it was paid. Clients sometimes want a receipt for their records — you can generate one with our receipt generator.
What if a client pays in cash?
Still record it. Cash counts toward the same $30,000 threshold, and the CRA expects every dollar of business income to be tracked.
This guide is general information for Canadian small-business owners, not tax advice. For your specific situation, check the CRA or talk to an accountant.