Record the gross, not the deposit that hits the bank
Booking platforms built for grooming, MoeGo, DaySmart Pet, Square Appointments, pay out in batches with their processing and subscription fees already removed. Books built from bank deposits therefore understate revenue and bury the fees where you never see them. We record what the client actually paid as revenue and the platform's cut as an expense.
That distinction matters twice. Your service margin becomes real instead of flattering, and the $30,000 HST small-supplier test runs on gross fees charged, not on what reached your account. A groomer watching net payouts can sail past the registration line without noticing; clean books flag it months ahead. This is the core of End-to-End Accounting: bookkeeping, payroll, reporting and tax filing under one roof, built off the systems you already use.
Deposits, no-show fees and gift certificates each have their own HST moment
A booking deposit is not revenue when you take it and carries no HST; it sits as a liability until the dog is on the table. Keep the deposit after a no-show and the picture changes: CRA treats a forfeited amount from a taxable service as HST-inclusive, so 13/113 of what you kept is tax to remit even though no groom happened. Gift certificates run the opposite direction, no HST when sold, revenue and HST when redeemed, and the unredeemed balance stays a liability on the books.
We set the chart of accounts so each of these books itself from the appointment record: deposit taken, deposit applied, fee kept, certificate sold, certificate redeemed. When the no-show policy in your booking app changes, the books already know what to do with the money it collects.
Commission splits are usually payroll, and tips have two lanes
A groomer working your table on a 50/50 or 60/40 split is, in CRA's eyes, usually an employee: you set the schedule, own the tub and dryers, and the clients book through your system. That means T4s, source deductions, and CPP and EI remitted on time. Treat that groomer as a contractor and a misclassification review can land both halves of the missed CPP and EI on the shop, plus penalties, for every year reassessed.
Tips split into two lanes. Card tips the shop collects and distributes are controlled tips: they run through payroll and are pensionable and insurable. Cash handed straight to the groomer is a direct tip, still taxable income to them, but outside the shop's payroll. How you configure the tip prompt on the card reader decides which lane you are in, so we set it deliberately rather than discovering the answer during a payroll review.
Every dollar in, booked the right way
| Money in | How it lands in the books |
|---|---|
| Groom fee | Revenue at the full price charged, 13% HST collected, app fees expensed separately |
| Booking deposit | Liability until the appointment; applied to the invoice or converted on a no-show |
| Kept no-show fee | Revenue deemed HST-inclusive; 13/113 of the amount remitted as tax |
| Retail sale at the counter | Taxable revenue with the product cost relieved from inventory |
| Gift certificate | Liability when sold; revenue and HST when redeemed |
| Card tip routed by the shop | Controlled tip through payroll; CPP and EI apply |
Retail, inventory and a rhythm that fits the shop
Counter retail, shampoo, brushes, dental chews, is a short SKU list with real margin, and it only stays profitable if the books track it: cost per unit in, margin per sale out, and a periodic count that catches shrinkage and the bag of treats that walked out as a freebie. We keep the inventory ledger light enough for a small shop but honest enough that the retail line means something.
The rhythm is monthly: transactions categorized, the booking platform reconciled to the bank, payroll run, HST tracked against the filing period, and a short report that says what the shop actually earned. If you are a solo groomer with one van and one card reader, a full monthly engagement may be more than you need; CPA Quick Support at $99/mo answers the one-off questions until the shop grows into more. Either way, we work with groomers across Mississauga and the GTA, and every engagement is scoped in writing after a free 15-minute call, with plain numbers on the pricing page.
