Dog walkers, pet sitters, and Rover/Wag contractors are self-employed for tax purposes. Miles driven to client homes for walks, drop-in visits, overnight sitting, and pickups are deductible business miles.
What counts
- Driving from your home to a client's home for a walk or visit
- Driving between client homes during a multi-stop day
- Driving to a dog park or trail with a client's dog
- Driving to pick up supplies for clients (food, treats)
- Driving to/from a kennel, vet, or groomer for a client's pet
Platform-specific notes
Rover and Wag both send 1099-NEC forms. Like rideshare and delivery platforms, they typically only count miles when a service is "active". Which under-counts deductible miles. Driving between back-to-back walks for different clients counts; the platform may not record it.
Home as principal place of business
Most dog walkers and pet sitters work from home (scheduling, client communication, supply storage). If you have a qualifying home office, the home office exception applies. Drives from home to client visits are business miles, not commuting.
Schedule C and other deductions
Dog walkers report on Schedule C. Beyond mileage, deductions include phone (business %), supplies (leashes, treat pouches, poop bags), liability insurance, business licenses, professional pet-care training, and equipment depreciation. Full self-employed deductions guide.
Sample math
A dog walker doing 4 visits/day at avg 8 miles round trip, 5 days/week, 50 weeks/year clears about 8,000 business miles. At 72.5¢/mile, that is a $5,800 deduction. For someone netting $40,000 from dog walking, that is roughly $2,200 in tax savings (federal + state + SE tax).
Track every walk and visit. Start free with TruMile →
Track every business mile.
40 auto trips a month, free forever. Switch from any tracker with a one-tap CSV import.
Download free on the App Store