Pet Sitting Business Permit Requirements in Honolulu, HI

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC or corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Hawaii Department of Taxation — General Excise Tax (GET) License

   Hawaii has no sales tax. Instead the state levies a General Excise Tax on the gross income of the business itself, and unlike a sales tax it reaches services, commissions and rent as well as goods. Every business must register for a GET licence with the Department of Taxation on Form BB-1 before doing business. The rate is 4% statewide, rising to 4.5% on Oahu because of the 0.5% county surcharge, and it is owed on gross income whether or not it is passed on to the customer.

   Official government source

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1)·Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1)

   Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

1. Hawaii General Excise Tax (GET) License

   The City and County of Honolulu Department of Budget and Fiscal Services issues no business licence — its divisions are accounting, real property assessment, treasury, purchasing and the liquor commission, and Honolulu has no general business licence at all, so there is nothing to renew annually or display. What a business does need is the statewide General Excise Tax licence from the Department of Taxation on Form BB-1, plus any activity-specific approvals such as building or zoning permits from the Department of Planning and Permitting.

   Official government source

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1) — there is no city business license fee·Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1) — there is no city business license fee

   Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

2. No County Kennel Permit — Zoning and GET License Only

   There is no "Honolulu County Animal Services" department and no city kennel or animal boarding permit. Animal control on Oahu is contracted to the Hawaiian Humane Society, a nonprofit that does not license businesses. Boarding pets overnight is treated as a land use question: check with the Department of Planning and Permitting that the district and the dwelling allow it, since a home-based sitter is limited by the Land Use Ordinance's home occupation standards. The business itself needs only the statewide General Excise Tax licence.

   Official government source

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1) — no county kennel or animal boarding permit fee exists·Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1) — no county kennel or animal boarding permit fee exists

   Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

Official Sources

• City and County of Honolulu Department of Budget and Fiscal Services
• Honolulu County Animal Services

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