Guides
Money, explained for the chair.
Short, plain-language guides on taxes, tips, deductions and keeping your books clean. Written for stylists and barbers, not accountants.
Start here · Bookkeeping
How to Pay Yourself as a Booth Renter or Suite Renter
How booth and suite renters can pay themselves a steady amount: three accounts, taxes set aside first, a paycheck from your average, and slow months.
7 min read
Read the guideBookkeeping
Booth Rent vs Commission: How to Tell Which Pays You More
Booth rent or commission? A fair side-by-side for stylists: what each side pays for, a worked example, a simple break-even formula, and how taxes change.
· 7 minRead
Bookkeeping
Behind on Your Bookkeeping? Here's What to Do
Months or years behind on your books as a stylist or barber? How to size the problem, gather what you have, and choose DIY, a catch-up or a fresh start.
· 6 minRead
QuickBooks
QuickBooks for Hair Stylists: Set It Up Right or Hand It Off
Does a stylist or barber need QuickBooks Online? A salon chart of accounts, how to avoid double-counting Square deposits, and when to hand it off.
· 7 minRead
Tips
How to Track Tips as a Hair Stylist or Barber
Card tips, cash tips and Venmo tips: a two-minute daily habit for tracking them, why they get their own line in your books, and what to hand your CPA.
· 5 minRead
Taxes
Booth Renter Taxes: What to Track as a Chair or Suite Renter
Renting a booth or salon suite makes you self-employed. What changes, the five things to track, and the mistakes that make tax season painful for renters.
· 7 minRead
Taxes
Hair Stylist Tax Deduction Checklist: What to Track All Year
A printable checklist for hair stylists and barbers: expense categories, real examples, what to keep as proof, and the mistakes that cost deductions.
· 9 minRead
Taxes
How Much Should a Hair Stylist Set Aside for Taxes?
A plain answer for self-employed stylists and barbers: the 25 to 30 percent rule of thumb, why it's a share of profit not sales, and a system that sticks.
· 6 minRead
These guides are general information from a bookkeeper, not tax or legal advice. For what applies to you, talk to your CPA. We're happy to work alongside them.
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