Booth rent vs commission: calculator for salons and barbershops

Put in one stylist's weekly service sales, the commission you would pay and the booth rent you would charge. The calculator shows what the stylist takes home and what the salon keeps each month on each deal, and the weekly sales above which renting a chair pays the stylist more.

Who keeps what each month

Use one stylist's numbers. The sums stay on this page; nothing is sent anywhere.

Weekly sales where booth rent starts paying the stylist more

The two offers side by side, ready to copy

[Business name]: booth rent or commission, your choice

Option A, commission: you keep [45%] of every service you do here and [10%] of the retail you sell. We pay for the chair, the products you use on clients, the booking system and the front desk. Pay is every [two weeks].

Option B, booth rent: [$250] a week, due every [Monday]. You keep everything you charge and set your own prices and hours inside our opening hours, [7 am to 9 pm]. You buy your own products and keep your own client list.

Both options include: your own column in our booking page, online booking 24/7, appointment reminders and the shared front desk.

Notice to change options or leave: [30] days, in writing.

Change the numbers in brackets to yours. This sheet compares the money; whether a renter is an employee or an independent contractor depends on your state's rules, so check with your accountant before you sign anyone.

How to pick the numbers

Run either deal in Belcome

  1. Commission: in Settings, open Commissions and set the Default commission for services and products. Give a stylist their own rate when it differs, and choose whether to take the card fee and discounts off before the commission.
  2. Close a pay period from Payroll: it adds each person's commission, tips and bonuses, and you record how you paid.
  3. Booth rent: in Settings, open Chair rent, tap Add renter, and set a weekly or monthly amount. Each period the renter gets an e-mail with what is due; once you take cards it has a Pay online button and is marked paid by itself.
  4. Rent paid in cash, check or an app like Zelle or Venmo you mark by hand with Mark paid, so the open balance is always right.
  5. Renters and commission stylists share the same calendar and booking page, so a salon with both runs on one account.

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Questions about booth rent and commission

Is booth rent or commission better for a stylist?

It depends on how much they sell. On booth rent the stylist pays a fixed amount and keeps the rest, so it pays more once weekly service sales pass the break-even in the calculator above. Below it, commission pays more and the salon carries the slow weeks.

How much is booth rent for a salon chair?

It depends on your city and what the chair includes. Price it from your own costs: the chair's share of rent, utilities, the front desk and the booking system, plus what you need to earn on it.

What is a normal salon commission?

Salons set it from their own costs and what they include, like products and the front desk. Belcome lets you set one default rate and a different rate for any stylist, for services and products apart.

Can a salon have booth renters and commission stylists at the same time?

Yes. In Belcome both are team members with their own column on the calendar and the booking page; commission stylists show in Payroll, renters in Chair rent.

Does Belcome collect booth rent by itself?

Each period Belcome e-mails the renter what is due, with a Pay online button once you take cards, and marks the period paid when they pay. Nothing is charged to a card without the renter paying.