One of my guests developed a hot spot on his head a couple of days before he was picked up. Owner took him to ER rather than her own vet. I offered her a refund, and she accepted. Can I issue the refund through Rover so my 1099 is adjusted?
Karen's advice is correct.
Moving forward, however, I would handle it this way:
Some dogs are more prone to hot spots than others. The source of the hot spot may have had nothing to do with you or your home. Rover's insurance policy, however, will cover vet expenses for you if you need to take a dog to the vet while the owner is away. The owner pays the deductible, but Rover can call the vet ahead of time in many cases to take care of payment on the front end. This way, the dog can get their hot spot treated ASAP, minimizing discomfort and the risk of infection.
Allowing the vet to examine it before the owner arrives also minimizes stress on the owner once they return, since they are not rushing their dog to the ER and paying higher exam fees, etc. The vet will also be able to make an educated guess or determination about the cause of the hot spot. If it was caused by something at your home, then issuing a refund is certainly appropriate. However, in some instances, the dog may just be prone to hot spots (my lab is) or have an allergy to a particular tree/grass/insect/etc. In these cases, it would be unlikely that you would need to issue a refund since it was not your fault or the result of your services.
She told me that she reviewed Rover's insurance, and that "hot spots" were mentioned and excluded. Rover did issue the refund.
That makes sense. I have a supply of animal first-aid and over the counter medications that I got from PetCo. It it helpful for things like hotspots, diarrhea, etc. But I always ask before using.
If you have a dog with hotspots in the future, you could always ask the owner if it would be ok to use an OTC anti-itch spray, cone/comfy collar, or if they would like the dog taken to the vet. I just hate to see a sitter lose pay if its not their fault.
You should definitely issue the refund through Rover because otherwise you'd be out-of-pocket for Rover's fees. The customer would get the full refund and Rover would still get its percentage of the total.
BTW, Rover only issues 1099s to sitters who receive payments by check:
https://support.rover.com/hc/en-us/ar...
As an independent contractor, all you need to do is keep track of your earnings (and expenses) for tax purposes.