Pet Sitting Business Permit Requirements in Kailua, 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

   Kailua is within the City and County of Honolulu, which does not issue a general business license. The near-universal requirement is instead the State of Hawaii General Excise Tax (GET) license from the Department of Taxation, a one-time registration rather than an annual renewal. GET itself is charged on gross business income at 4% plus a 0.5% Oahu county surcharge and is remitted periodically.

   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

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 covering Kailua. Animal control on Oahu is contracted to the Hawaiian Humane Society, a nonprofit that does not license businesses. Boarding pets overnight is a land use question instead: check with the Department of Planning and Permitting that the district and the dwelling allow it, since a home-based sitter is bound 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 — Permits and Licenses
• Honolulu County Animal Services

Related Guides