Many self-employed dog groomers work from a rented table or space within a wider salon, paying a fixed weekly rent and keeping everything clients pay them directly. As with any similar split-fee or rental arrangement, your qualifying income for MTD is the full grooming fee before your table rent is deducted, not your net take-home after rent. The rent itself is then claimed back as a business expense.
Mobile groomers working from a converted van have a different cost profile entirely — no table rent, but significant van conversion, water system, and fuel costs instead. Every booking counts towards qualifying income the same way regardless of whether you're salon-based or mobile, but the expense side looks quite different, which is worth tracking accurately since van conversion costs can be substantial and often qualify for capital allowances.
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It's the full amount the client pays you, before your table rent is deducted. The rent is then claimed back separately as a business expense.
Yes, in most cases the cost of converting a van into a mobile grooming unit qualifies for the Annual Investment Allowance, letting you deduct it against your profit in the year you buy it.
Yes, all self-employment income combines into a single qualifying income figure, whether it comes from a regular repeat-client round or one-off bookings.
Yes, shampoo, conditioner, clipper blades, and other consumables used on client dogs are normal allowable business expenses.
No, all your grooming income combines into one qualifying income figure regardless of where the work takes place, though home-based work may let you claim a proportion of home costs too.