How to Start a Dog Grooming Business in Australia: Checklist

Heads up: this is general information for people starting a grooming business in Australia, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules differ by state and by council, and they change. The government sources below were checked on 30 October 2026. Check your own situation with your council, the ATO or an accountant before you rely on it.

Most people who start a grooming business from home or from a van can groom. What catches them out is everything around the grooming: the registrations, the council, the prices, and the first few months when the diary is mostly empty.

This is the checklist we'd give a friend, in the order we'd do it. Tick it off as you go.

1. Register an ABN

An Australian Business Number is the first step. You'll need it for invoices, for your insurer and for your accountant.

It's free. In the government's words, "It's free to register for an ABN through the Australian Government's Australian Business Register (ABR)" (business.gov.au). Apply on the ABR site itself, not through a paid service that does the same form for a fee.

ABN registered
Business name registered, if you're trading under a name other than your own

2. Decide on GST

You must register for GST once your GST turnover is $75,000 or more, and you have to do it within 21 days of becoming aware that you'll go over that threshold. Below it, registering is optional. If you're under $75,000 and haven't chosen to register, you don't include GST in your prices (business.gov.au).

A full-time groomer can reach $75,000 sooner than they expect. Four $95 grooms a day, five days a week, for 48 weeks is $91,200 a year. Keep an eye on your turnover from the first month, and talk to an accountant about whether registering early suits you. We wrote about ABN, GST and BAS for groomers separately.

Worked out whether I need to register for GST, and when

3. Get insurance before the first dog

Public liability insurance protects you if someone is hurt or their property is damaged because of your business. It isn't always legally required, but in practice you shouldn't groom without it.

When you get quotes, tell the insurer exactly what you do: at home, in a van, or both, and every service you offer. Ask specifically whether the policy covers injury to the animals in your care, because that isn't something to assume. If you'll drive to clients, ask your vehicle insurer about business use too.

Public liability insurance, with cover for animals in my care confirmed in writing
Vehicle insurance that covers business use (mobile only)

4. Check your council and your planning zone

This is the step people skip, and the one that can stop a business after it has started. Two separate questions matter:

Does grooming need registering as an animal business in my area? It depends on your state and council, and on what you offer. Boarding and daycare are very different from grooming. We went through how to check in do you need a licence to groom dogs in Australia?, and ABLIS, the government's licence finder, lists the licences that apply to your business and location.
Can I run a business from my home? That's a planning question, and the answer depends on your zone.

An example: Victoria's home based business rules

In Victoria, the planning rules for a home based business are in clause 52.11 of the Victoria Planning Provisions (read the clause). Among other things, the business must meet these requirements:

You must live in the dwelling as your principal place of residence.
No more than two people who don't live there may work in the business at any one time.
The floor area used, including storage, must not exceed 100 square metres or one-third of the dwelling's net floor area, whichever is less. Out-buildings count.
Only one commercial vehicle of up to 2 tonnes capacity may be there at any time, and it must not be fuelled or repaired on the site.
Materials and goods must be stored inside a building.
The business must not adversely affect the amenity of the neighbourhood, including through parking, hours of operation and emissions from the site.

A permit can allow more than this: up to three non-residents working at once, a floor area up to 200 square metres (still capped at one-third of the dwelling), or one extra commercial vehicle.

Whether you need a permit for the use itself depends on your zone. In the General Residential Zone, a home based business is listed under "Permit not required" (clause 32.08-2). The clause 52.11 requirements above still apply. Other zones have their own rules, so find your property's zone first. Your council's planning team can tell you on the phone.

If you're outside Victoria, your state has its own planning rules. The questions are much the same: who lives there, how much space, how many staff, the van, and the neighbours.

Asked the council whether grooming needs registering where I'll work
Found my planning zone, and checked the home business rules for it
Checked ABLIS for anything else that applies

5. Set up the room or the van

Whether it's a grooming room in the garage or a fitted-out van, the basics are the same: a sturdy table with a restraint, a bath at a height your back can live with, a good dryer, non-slip floors, ventilation, and somewhere for waste water to go that your council is happy with.

A van adds water and power. Some vans carry both. Others rely on the client's tap and power point. If you rely on clients, ask before you arrive, not on the driveway.

Table, bath, dryer and restraints
Waste water plan the council is happy with
Water and power plan for each visit (mobile)

6. Write your menu and prices

Price by size and coat, and write down how long each service takes. The time matters as much as the price, because time is what you're selling. Our starter menus begin a medium full groom at $95 for two hours in a salon and $135 for two and a half hours in a van. What to charge for dog grooming in Australia goes through how to set your own, and mobile vs salon prices explains why the van costs more.

If you go mobile, decide your travel fee before the first booking: how to price travel fees as a mobile groomer.

Menu with prices and times for each size and coat
Travel fee bands (mobile)
A matting or "coat worse than booked" policy (here's ours)

7. Take deposits

A no-show costs a small business more than a big one. When you only have three or four dogs a day, one empty slot is a third or a quarter of that day's income.

A deposit for new clients is the simplest fix. Keep it simple: a set amount or a percentage, taken when they book, and a cancellation policy written down where the client sees it before paying. Say plainly what happens to the deposit if they cancel, and how much notice you need. Refunds have legal rules of their own under Australian Consumer Law, so check your policy against them.

Deposit amount decided
Cancellation policy written down and shown before booking

8. Make a booking page

Clients who find you on Facebook at 10 pm want to book then, not ring you in the morning. A booking page that shows your services, your prices and your free times lets them, and it makes a new business look established.

At a minimum, it should show the price before they book, take the deposit, send a reminder, and keep each pet's notes (allergies, temperament, last cut) in front of you at the next groom.

Booking page live, with prices, deposits and reminders

9. Find your first 20 clients

Twenty regulars on a six-week cycle is only three or four grooms a week, but it's the base everything else grows from: they rebook, they refer, and they fill the diary while you find the next twenty.

Start with people you know. Friends, family, neighbours, and their dogs. Offer an opening price for the first groom, not a permanent discount.
Local Facebook groups. Many suburbs have one. Read the rules on business posts first, and post before-and-after photos (with the owner's permission).
Vets, pet shops and trainers. Ask to leave cards. A vet nurse who sees a matted dog every day is a good person to know.
Rebook at the door. Every client leaves with their next appointment. This one habit does more than any advertising.
Ask for referrals. Happy clients have friends with dogs. Ask them directly.
First 20 clients booked, and each one rebooked

If you're still deciding whether grooming is the right move, start with how to become a dog groomer in Australia.

Where My Pet Groomer fits

Steps 6 to 8 are what we build. My Pet Groomer comes with a salon and a mobile starter menu, takes a deposit when a client books, sends reminders, and gives you your own booking page plus a listing on our directory. For a van, it adds home visits and travel priced in bands by drive time or distance. See starting a home grooming business with My Pet Groomer or mobile grooming, and try it free for 30 days.