Pet Grooming Invoice Template & Guide: Services, Add-ons, No-shows
Pet grooming is a repeat-appointment business. The same dogs come back every four to eight weeks, each needing a slightly different service depending on breed, size, and coat, often with a few add-ons on the day. That makes a clear, itemised invoice more useful than it looks: it shows the owner exactly what their pet had done, sets the price for next time, and turns a one-off wash into a standing appointment. A groomer who invoices clearly looks professional and builds a loyal book. One who just writes "grooming, $65" leaves money and repeat bookings on the table.
This guide covers how to invoice as a pet groomer: pricing by breed and size, add-on services, recurring appointments, no-show and cancellation fees, mobile travel, and a sample grooming invoice you can copy. It works for salon groomers, mobile groomers, and home-based grooming businesses.
What a pet grooming invoice must include
A grooming invoice needs the standard fields plus a few specific to pet services:
- Your name or business name, contact, and tax number where registered
- The owner's name and the pet's name and breed
- A unique invoice number, issue date, and a clear due date
- The service performed (full groom, bath and tidy, etc.)
- Any add-ons (nail trim, de-matting, teeth, flea treatment)
- Any travel for mobile grooming
- Subtotal, tax if registered, and the total due
Naming the pet and the exact service keeps the invoice clear and doubles as a record of what each dog had, which helps you quote the same pet next visit. For the full anatomy of an invoice, see our invoice format and layout guide.
How groomers charge
Groomers price by the animal and the work, and the invoice should reflect it:
| Basis | How it works | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| By breed / size | Set price per breed or size band | Most common; a Poodle groom costs more than a Beagle bath |
| By service | Full groom vs bath-and-tidy vs nails only | Menu-style pricing |
| Add-ons | Nail trim, de-matting, teeth, de-shed | Billed on top of the base service |
| Mobile travel | Flat call-out or mileage | For at-home grooming |
Most groomers price by breed or size for a named service, then add extras. De-matting is worth calling out separately, since a badly matted coat takes far longer and should carry a surcharge rather than being absorbed. State your pricing so owners are not surprised, especially first-timers with a new breed.
Sample pet grooming invoice
Here is a full groom with a couple of add-ons.
| Description | Amount |
|---|---|
| Full groom, medium dog (Cocker Spaniel) | $65.00 |
| Nail trim | $10.00 |
| De-matting surcharge (heavy matting) | $15.00 |
| Teeth brushing | $8.00 |
| Subtotal | $98.00 |
| Tax | $0.00 |
| Total due (on collection) | $98.00 |
The base groom and each add-on sit on their own line, with the pet and breed named. The owner sees exactly what their dog had and why the total is what it is, which is what stops "why is it more than last time?" and sets a clear expectation for the next visit.
Add-ons and extra services
Add-ons are where a grooming business grows its average ticket, so bill them clearly rather than folding them in:
- Nail trims, ear cleaning, teeth brushing as small named extras.
- De-matting and de-shedding surcharges, since these take real extra time.
- Flea or medicated treatments where offered.
- Puppy's first groom or nervous-dog handling, if you price these differently.
Listing add-ons separately shows the owner the value they got and makes it easy to offer the same next time. Rolling everything into one price hides that value, a common theme in our common invoice mistakes guide. The same per-service logic applies in our salon invoice guide.
Recurring appointments, no-shows, and deposits
Because grooming is a repeat business, protect your book and your time:
- Rebook on the day. Note the next appointment and invoice consistently so owners settle into a schedule (every 4 to 8 weeks).
- Charge a cancellation or no-show fee. A grooming slot is time you cannot re-book at short notice, so a clear late-cancellation fee (stated in your terms) is fair and standard.
- Take a deposit for first-time or large bookings, especially for de-matting jobs or multiple pets, so a no-show does not cost you a whole slot. Our deposit guide covers how to ask.
- Consider loyalty or package pricing (for example, every sixth groom discounted) to reward regulars.
No-show fees and consistent rebooking are what turn grooming from unpredictable to a reliable income, the same appointment-protection logic as in our spa invoice guide.
Mobile grooming and travel
If you groom at the owner's home or from a van, travel is a real cost that belongs on the invoice:
- Charge a call-out or travel fee for the visit, or a mileage rate beyond a set radius.
- Reflect the convenience of mobile service in your base price, since one-to-one at-home grooming is a premium offering.
- Show travel as its own line, so the owner sees the service price and the travel separately.
Not charging for travel is the fastest way for a mobile groomer to work for free between appointments. For chasing the occasional unpaid invoice, see our payment terms guide.
Tax for pet groomers
Tax depends on registration and location:
- In the UK, charge VAT (20 percent) once VAT registered; many solo groomers are under the threshold and do not charge it.
- In Australia, register for GST (10 percent) at A$75,000 turnover and quote your ABN on every invoice.
- In the USA, groomers report income themselves; whether pet services are taxable varies by state.
Show tax as a separate line and only charge what you are registered to collect. For the wider small-business picture, see our freelance invoice template guide.
Common pet grooming invoice mistakes
- One lump price instead of itemised service and add-ons.
- No de-matting surcharge, so heavy jobs eat your time for free.
- No cancellation or no-show fee, leaving empty slots uncovered.
- Not charging travel for mobile visits.
- Sending editable files. Always send a PDF.
Make a pet grooming invoice in 60 seconds
You do not need salon software to invoice cleanly. Invoicara's free invoice generator lets you list the groom and each add-on separately, add a travel or no-show fee, name the pet and breed, apply tax, and export a clean PDF. Save your details so each visit's invoice takes under a minute. No sign-up, no watermark, free forever.
For related appointment businesses, see our salon invoice guide and spa invoice guide. For the basics, our complete guide on how to make an invoice covers every field. Itemise the service and add-ons, charge for de-matting and travel, protect slots with a no-show fee, and your grooming business builds a loyal, well-paid book.