Bookkeeping for barbershops & salons.
FigureWise sorts out the bookkeeping puzzle at the heart of most barbershops: booth renters versus commission stylists, cash and card tips, and retail product sales mixed into service revenue.
The numbers to watch.
| # | Metric | |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Revenue per chairChairs are your inventory. Whether a chair is rented or commission-staffed, its monthly revenue tells you if your space is earning what it should and when expansion actually makes sense. | Chairs are your inventory. Whether a chair is rented or commission-staffed, its monthly revenue tells you if your space is earning what it should and when expansion actually makes sense. |
| 02 | Rent roll collection rateFor booth-rent shops, uncollected rent is the profit leak. Tracking who is current and who is behind each week keeps a friendly shop from becoming an unprofitable one. | For booth-rent shops, uncollected rent is the profit leak. Tracking who is current and who is behind each week keeps a friendly shop from becoming an unprofitable one. |
| 03 | Retail margin and attachmentProduct sales are the highest-margin revenue in most shops, but only if you track cost of goods. Knowing how often a service ticket includes retail tells you if the opportunity is being worked. | Product sales are the highest-margin revenue in most shops, but only if you track cost of goods. Knowing how often a service ticket includes retail tells you if the opportunity is being worked. |
| 04 | Service ticket averageA slowly rising average ticket usually beats chasing new foot traffic. It is the cleanest measure of whether pricing and upsells are keeping pace with your costs. | A slowly rising average ticket usually beats chasing new foot traffic. It is the cleanest measure of whether pricing and upsells are keeping pace with your costs. |
Where barbershops & salons books go wrong.
01
Booth rent vs. commission, often under one roof
Booth renters are tenants who owe you rent; commission stylists earn a split of their service revenue. The two models create completely different income, payroll, and 1099 treatment, and mixing them up in the books is the most common mess we see in this industry.
02
Cash and tip income that never gets recorded
Cash services and cash tips are easy to lose between the chair and the books. Underreported income depresses your ability to get loans and grows audit risk; tips also carry their own payroll reporting rules for employees.
03
Retail products blended into service revenue
Pomade and product sales carry inventory cost and usually sales tax; services often do not. When both flow through the register as one number, you cannot see product margin and your sales tax filings get shaky.
What we put in place.
- Booth rent tracked as rental income with a proper rent roll, kept fully separate from commission payroll.
- 1099 tracking for renters and contractors maintained all year, so January filings take minutes instead of a weekend.
- Retail and service revenue split at the register level, with product cost of goods tracked so you see real retail margin.
- Tip reporting handled correctly in payroll for W-2 staff, so wage reports and tax withholding stay clean.
- AI flags missing daily deposits and unusual register gaps; a human bookkeeper follows up before small leaks become patterns.
Services that fit.
Barbershops & Salons, answered.
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