Booth Rent vs Commission Calculator
Price one chair two ways. See what a stylist, nail tech or barber takes home on commission and on booth rent, what the owner earns from that chair under each, and the weekly revenue where booth rent starts to pay more.
Last updated October 27, 2026 · Free · Nothing stored
Is booth rent or commission better for a stylist?
Booth rent pays the stylist more once weekly service revenue passes a break-even: rent plus supplies, software, insurance and any retail commission given up, divided by the share of each dollar kept (100% minus the commission rate, back-bar product and card fees). With our placeholder figures, a $250 weekly rent and 45% commission, that is about $670 a week. Below it, commission pays more. Enter your own rent, rates and costs.
Every default is a placeholder we chose so the page shows a result on load, including the 45% commission rate and $250 weekly rent. We do not cite an average commission rate or booth rent because we could not find one we could verify. The 7.65% employer Social Security and Medicare figure in the payroll-cost note is from IRS Topic 751, checked 27 October 2026. Worker classification guidance is from the IRS page on independent contractors and employees, checked the same day. This is not legal or tax advice.
One chair, one week
The chair
The same week of work is priced under both models. Whoever works the chair pays these costs.
Default $1,500 · Our assumption. A round placeholder so the page shows a result. Take the chair's service sales, before tips, from a normal month in your POS and divide by 4.33.
Default 8% · Our assumption. Our assumption, not a benchmark. Color, shampoo, polish and other product used on clients, as a share of service revenue. The owner pays it on commission; the renter pays it on booth rent.
Default $20 · Our assumption. Our assumption. Foils, towels, disposables, blades and laundry. Whoever works the chair pays it: the owner on commission, the renter on booth rent.
Default 3% · Our assumption. A placeholder. Use the effective rate on your processor's monthly statement. The owner pays it on commission; the renter pays it on booth rent.
Commission
The owner takes the revenue, pays the stylist a share and covers product, supplies and card fees.
Default 45% · Our assumption. A placeholder, not a cited industry average. Use the rate in your pay plan or the offer you are weighing; tiered plans can be modelled at the tier you expect to reach.
Default $100 · Our assumption. Optional; set to 0 if there is no retail. Counted on commission only, because a renter usually sells their own retail, if any, outside the owner's till.
Default 10% · Our assumption. A placeholder. Use the retail rate in your pay plan.
Default 50% · Our assumption. Our assumption. What the owner paid the distributor for the retail products sold, as a share of the shelf price. Check your invoices.
Default 10% · Our assumption. Our assumption, for commission staff paid through payroll. Employer Social Security and Medicare alone are 7.65% of wages (IRS); unemployment tax and workers' comp vary by state.
Booth rent
The renter keeps the revenue, pays a flat weekly rent and covers their own running costs.
Default $250 · Our assumption. A placeholder, not a cited average. Rent depends on the city, the shop and what the owner includes. Use the figure in the lease or the offer.
Default $40/mo · Our assumption. A placeholder. Your booking app's monthly plan, if the owner does not provide one. Set to 0 if the rent includes it.
Default $25/mo · Our assumption. A placeholder. Divide your annual professional liability premium by 12.
$1,500 of services a week, before tips and taxes
The stylist takes home
$1,050a week
- On booth rent
- $1,050 a week, $4,550 a month
- On commission
- $685 a week, $2,968 a month
Headline is booth rent. Better for the stylist: booth rent by $365 a week.
The owner earns from this chair
$609a week
- On commission
- $609 a week, $2,637 a month
- On booth rent
- $250 a week, $1,083 a month
Headline is commission. Better for the owner: commission by $359 a week. A rent of $609 a week would match commission income.
Break-even for the stylist
Booth rent pays the stylist more once service revenue passes $670 a week ($2,905 a month). You entered $1,500.
The link holds only the numbers on this page. Nothing is sent to us.
The working, with your numbers
Every figure is per week, before tips and before income, payroll or self-employment taxes on the stylist's side. A month is 52 weeks divided by 12.
Commission
- $1,500 × 45% = $675.00 service pay
- + $100 retail × 10% = $10.00
- Stylist takes home $685.00
- Owner: $1,600 revenue − $685.00 pay − $68.50 payroll costs − $120.00 back-bar − $50.00 retail cost − $48.00 card fees − $20.00 supplies
- Owner earns $608.50
Booth rent
- ($40 software + $25 insurance) × 12 ÷ 52 = $15.00 a week
- $250.00 rent + $120.00 back-bar + $45.00 card fees + $20.00 supplies + $15.00 = $450.00 costs
- $1,500 − $450.00 = $1,050.00 take-home
- Owner earns the rent, $250.00
Break-even
- Fixed booth costs: $250.00 rent + $20.00 supplies + $15.00 + $10.00 retail commission given up
- Each extra service dollar: 100% − 45% − 8% − 3% = 44% more on booth rent
- Fixed costs ÷ that share = $670.45 a week
Reading the result
Booth rent is a fixed cost, so it rewards a full book and punishes a slow one: below the break-even, commission pays the stylist more, and above it booth rent does. For the owner it runs the other way. Rent is steady and arrives whether the chair is busy or not, while commission income grows with the stylist's sales and carries the product, card fees and payroll costs. Run the numbers on a slow month as well as a good one.
What it leaves out
- Tips, which usually go to the stylist under both models.
- Income tax, and payroll or self-employment tax on the stylist's side, which differ between the two models. Ask a tax professional about your own position.
- Benefits, paid time off, training and education that an employer may provide on commission.
- Retail a renter sells on their own account, and the owner's fixed costs such as lease, utilities and front-desk staff, which exist under both models.
- Weeks off. A renter usually owes rent on a week of vacation; on commission there is simply no pay that week.
A note on worker classification
Booth renters are usually treated as independent contractors and commission staff as employees, but the label in an agreement does not settle it. The IRS looks at the whole relationship: who controls what work is done and how, who pays the expenses and supplies the tools, and how the relationship is set up. A renter whose hours, services and prices are set by the owner may in fact be an employee. State rules can differ. See the IRS guide to independent contractor or employee (checked 2026-10-27). This calculator is not legal or tax advice.
Every assumption and its source
- Service revenue per week
- $1,500
- Our assumption. A round placeholder so the page shows a result. Take the chair's service sales, before tips, from a normal month in your POS and divide by 4.33.
- Back-bar product used on services
- 8%
- Our assumption. Our assumption, not a benchmark. Color, shampoo, polish and other product used on clients, as a share of service revenue. The owner pays it on commission; the renter pays it on booth rent.
- Other supplies per week
- $20
- Our assumption. Our assumption. Foils, towels, disposables, blades and laundry. Whoever works the chair pays it: the owner on commission, the renter on booth rent.
- Card processing fees
- 3%
- Our assumption. A placeholder. Use the effective rate on your processor's monthly statement. The owner pays it on commission; the renter pays it on booth rent.
- Service commission to the stylist
- 45%
- Our assumption. A placeholder, not a cited industry average. Use the rate in your pay plan or the offer you are weighing; tiered plans can be modelled at the tier you expect to reach.
- Retail product sales per week
- $100
- Our assumption. Optional; set to 0 if there is no retail. Counted on commission only, because a renter usually sells their own retail, if any, outside the owner's till.
- Retail commission to the stylist
- 10%
- Our assumption. A placeholder. Use the retail rate in your pay plan.
- Owner's cost of retail sold
- 50%
- Our assumption. Our assumption. What the owner paid the distributor for the retail products sold, as a share of the shelf price. Check your invoices.
- Owner's payroll costs on commission pay
- 10%
- Our assumption. Our assumption, for commission staff paid through payroll. Employer Social Security and Medicare alone are 7.65% of wages (IRS); unemployment tax and workers' comp vary by state. Source: IRS Topic 751: employer Social Security 6.2% and Medicare 1.45% of wages (page last reviewed 24 September 2026), checked 2026-10-27.
- Weekly booth rent
- $250
- Our assumption. A placeholder, not a cited average. Rent depends on the city, the shop and what the owner includes. Use the figure in the lease or the offer.
- Your own booking software
- $40/mo
- Our assumption. A placeholder. Your booking app's monthly plan, if the owner does not provide one. Set to 0 if the rent includes it.
- Your own liability insurance
- $25/mo
- Our assumption. A placeholder. Divide your annual professional liability premium by 12.
We do not cite an average commission rate or booth rent, because we could not find one we could verify. Every default here is a placeholder; replace it with the figure in your pay plan, lease or offer.
How to compare booth rent and commission for one chair
01
Enter the chair's week
Take weekly service revenue before tips from your POS, plus the share used on back-bar product, other supplies and your card processing rate.
02
Enter both offers
Put in the commission rate, any retail commission and the owner's payroll costs, then the weekly rent and the renter's own booking software and insurance.
03
Read take-home and break-even
Compare the stylist's take-home and the owner's income under each model, and the weekly revenue at which booth rent starts to pay the stylist more. The working is printed underneath.
Common questions
How much is booth rent in a salon?
It varies by city, shop and what the owner includes, and we have not found a published average we could verify. The $250 a week in the calculator is a placeholder. Use the figure in the lease or offer you are weighing, and check whether it covers product, booking software or front-desk help.
What is the average barber booth rent?
We do not quote one, because we could not find a source we could verify. Barbershop rent depends on the market and the shop. Enter the weekly rent you have been offered and the calculator shows whether it beats commission at your volume.
How is the break-even revenue worked out?
Booth rent costs a fixed amount each week: rent, supplies, booking software, insurance and any retail commission given up. Each service dollar then earns the renter 100% minus back-bar and card fees, against the commission rate on commission. Divide the fixed costs by that difference to get the weekly revenue where both pay the same.
Which model earns the owner more?
Commission usually earns more from a busy chair, because the owner keeps the rest of the revenue after pay and costs. Booth rent earns a steady amount whether the chair is busy or quiet. The calculator shows the weekly rent that would match commission income.
Are booth renters independent contractors?
Usually they are treated as independent contractors, but the agreement's label does not settle it. The IRS looks at how the work is controlled, who pays the expenses and how the relationship is set up. Read the IRS guidance and get professional advice. This calculator is not legal or tax advice.
Does the take-home include taxes and tips?
No. Both figures are before tips and before income, payroll or self-employment taxes, which differ between the two models. Ask a tax professional how they apply to you.
Does this calculator store what I enter?
No. The arithmetic runs in your browser. The share link holds only the numbers and the trade you picked, and nothing is sent to LLDTEK.
See it against your book
Either way, the chair only pays when it is booked.
LLDTEK does not do payroll or booth rental. It answers the phone and books appointments. On a 30-minute demo we can show the front-desk agent booking into the calendar you already use, and tell you plainly if your shop is too small for it to be worth paying for.