Salon, spa & fitness
Stylist Hourly Rate Calculator
Works a stylist's effective hourly earnings, including the unbooked hours.
Result
The billable share is the number most people get wrong. Quoting, driving, chasing parts and fixing warranty callbacks are all paid and none of them are billed, which is why the honest figure is rarely above two thirds.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Total earnings divided by hours present rather than hours booked, giving the effective hourly rate. The gap between the two is the measure that matters to a stylist deciding between arrangements, because a high commission rate on a half-full column can earn less per hour present than a lower rate on a full one.
What moves the number
- Hours present against hours actually booked.
- Commission rate or rental cost.
- Average service value and duration.
- Retail earnings.
Where this one goes wrong
Hours present include the gaps between clients, the cleaning, the restocking and the waiting, all of which are unpaid under a pure commission or rental arrangement, and a column with poor booking density earns far less per hour present than the headline rate suggests. Measure booking density before comparing arrangements. For a booth renter the rent is a fixed cost that continues through those gaps, which makes density the whole question.
Before you quote
- Divide by hours present, not hours booked.
- Measure booking density before comparing arrangements.
- Include the unpaid tasks between clients.
Questions
About this calculator
What is my real hourly rate as a stylist?
Earnings divided by hours present, not hours booked. The gaps between clients, the cleaning and the restocking are unpaid under commission or rental, so a half-full column earns far less per hour present than the headline rate implies.
Is a higher commission rate always better?
Not if the column is less full. A high rate on a half-booked column can earn less per hour present than a lower rate on a full one, which is why booking density matters more than the percentage when comparing arrangements.
How does booth rental compare?
Rent is a fixed cost that continues through every unbooked hour, which makes booking density the whole question. Rental rewards a full column heavily and punishes a thin one, where commission shares the risk with the salon.
The formula
rate = (income + overhead) / (working hours x billable share)
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How to use this calculator
- Income you need per year ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $85,000.
- Annual overhead ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $168,000.
- Working weeks per year. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 48.
- Paid hours per week. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 40.
- Share of hours you can bill (%). Travel, quoting, admin and warranty calls are paid but not billed.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to rate you need to charge, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Income you need per year | $85,000 |
| Annual overhead | $168,000 |
| Working weeks per year | 48 |
| Paid hours per week | 40 |
| Share of hours you can bill | 62% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Rate you need to charge main result | $212.53 |
| Billable hours per year | 1,190 |
| Total to recover | $253,000 |
| If every hour were billable | $131.77 |
To take home $85,000 after $168,000 of overhead you need $212.53 per billable hour. Charging $131.77, the figure you get by ignoring unbillable time, leaves you short every week.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only income you need per year, this is what happens to rate you need to charge. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Income you need per year ($) | Rate you need to charge |
|---|---|
| $42,500 | $176.83 |
| $63,750 | $194.68 |
| $85,000 example above | $212.53 |
| $127,500 | $248.24 |
| $170,000 | $283.94 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Income you need per year ($)
- A money amount, starting at $85,000.
- Annual overhead ($)
- A money amount, starting at $168,000.
- Working weeks per year
- A number, between 0 and 52, starting at 48.
- Paid hours per week
- A number, between 0 and 100, starting at 40.
- Share of hours you can bill (%)
- Travel, quoting, admin and warranty calls are paid but not billed.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Rate you need to charge | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Billable hours per year | A number. |
| Total to recover | A money figure. |
| If every hour were billable | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.