Why We Don’t Charge Our Self-Employed Hairdressers Commission

Let’s say you bring in £350 from clients in one day.

As a self-employed hairdresser how much of that £350 would actually be left for you?

At Rebel Rebel Hair Studio, we do not take a percentage of what our independent hairdressers earn. Instead, everyone working on the same package pays the same clear chair rental price.

To show why we chose this approach, we have compared two self-employed hairdressers working exactly the same hours and taking exactly the same amount of money.

For fairness, both salon businesses in this comparison are not VAT registered. Rebel Rebel Hair Studio is not VAT registered, so VAT is not added to our chair rental or additional charges.

Many commission-based salons are VAT registered and may charge VAT on top of their percentage, depending on how their price is quoted. This could make the commission arrangement more expensive, so it is worth checking whether an advertised split includes VAT.

For this comparison, however, neither salon is adding VAT.

Meet the two stylists

Both stylists:

• Work five days per week
• Work 48 weeks per year
• Take four weeks off
• Take an average of £350 per working day
• Take an average of £1,750 per week
• Generate £84,000 in annual turnover

Of course, no hairdresser takes exactly the same amount every day. Some days will be busier and others will be quieter.

We are simply using £350 per day as an average to make the comparison easy to understand.

It is also important to remember that £84,000 in turnover does not mean the stylist personally earns £84,000.

Turnover is the total amount paid by clients before salon charges, colour, other business expenses, tax and National Insurance have been taken away.

Stylist One:

Paying 50% commission

Stylist One works in a self-employed salon that charges 50% of their takings.

For the purpose of this example, the salon supplies their colour, styling products and general salon facilities.

The stylist takes:

£1,750 per week

The salon’s 50% share is:

£875 per week

This leaves Stylist One with:

£875 per week before their other business expenses and tax

Across 48 working weeks, the figures look like this:

• Annual turnover: £84,000
• Total paid to the salon: £42,000
• Amount remaining before other expenses: £42,000

We have also included £3,000 per year for other business expenses.

Think things like accountancy, insurance, equipment, replacing or repairing tools and deciding to go on an education course.

After these estimated expenses, Stylist One has approximately:

£39,000 before tax and National Insurance

Based roughly on the Income Tax and self-employed National Insurance rates in place when this article was written in August 2026, this could leave Stylist One with approximately:

£32,128 per year

That works out at roughly:

£2,677 per month

The exact amount would depend on the stylist’s individual circumstances and their actual allowable business expenses, but it gives us a useful figure for comparison.

Stylist Two:

renting a chair at Rebel Rebel

Stylist Two works the same five days per week, takes the same average of £350 per day and generates the same £84,000 annual turnover.

They work at Rebel Rebel on our five-day chair rental package.

Their weekly costs are:

• Chair rental: £300
• Green Fee: £12.50
• Use of the salon styling products: £12.50
• Average colour spending: £150

Their total weekly cost is:

£475

They have chosen to use the styling products available in the salon. This means they do not need to purchase and stock all of their own styling products.

For this comparison, we have estimated that they spend an average of £150 per week on colour. Their actual spending could be higher or lower depending on the services they offer, the products they choose and how busy they are.

They can purchase and manage their own colour stock or use the YUV Colour Lab available in the salon and be billed directly by YUV for what they use which also means no trips to the wholesalers!

Our regular chair rental packages also include four rent-free weeks each year.

This means that when Stylist Two takes four weeks away from work, they are not taking money from clients, but they are also not paying their regular chair rental package during those four weeks.

Across their 48 working weeks, the figures look like this:

• Annual turnover: £84,000
• Chair rental, Green Fee, styling products and colour: £22,800
• Amount remaining before other expenses: £61,200

We have then included £4,000 per year for other business expenses.

This is slightly higher than Stylist One because they may pay for things such as their own booking system as well as accountancy, insurance, equipment, education and other costs involved in running their own independent business.

After these estimated expenses, Stylist Two has approximately:

£57,200 before tax and National Insurance

Based roughly on the Income Tax and self-employed National Insurance rates in place when this article was written in August 2026, this could leave Stylist Two with approximately:

£44,487 per year

That works out at roughly:

£3,707 per month

Again, the exact amount would depend on the stylist’s individual circumstances and their actual allowable business expenses.

What is the difference?

Both stylists have:

• Worked the same hours
• Taken the same amount from clients
• Worked the same number of weeks
• Taken the same four weeks off
• Generated the same £84,000 annual turnover

But the estimated amount left after expenses, tax and National Insurance is still very different.

That is an estimated difference of:

£1,030 per month

Or approximately:

£12,359 per year

Both stylists have done the same amount of work and brought the same amount of money into their businesses.

The difference is how much they have paid to work within the salon.

Why we chose fixed chair rental

We do not believe your salon costs should continue increasing simply because you have become busier.

At Rebel Rebel, everyone working on the same package pays the same chair rental.

You are not charged more because your prices are higher, your diary is fuller or you have had an especially successful week.

You also know that the hairdresser working next to you is paying on the same basis. Everyone is treated equally.

When you grow your client base, increase your prices or improve your turnover, the extra money stays within your own business.

Your chair rental does not increase because you have worked hard to become one of the busiest stylists in the salon.

That makes it easier to understand your costs, plan your finances and see the financial reward from growing your business.

More than simply renting a chair

We know that fixed chair rental can sometimes sound as though you are paying for a chair and then being left completely on your own.

That is not what we offer.

Rebel Rebel is a co-working hair salon for independent hairdressers who want the freedom to run their own businesses while still having support around them.

Sarah has run her own successful freelance hairdressing business for more than ten years.

She understands what it is like to build a client base, work out your pricing, manage your diary and make business decisions without a traditional salon owner doing it for you.

Support and coaching are available with things such as:

• Working out your pricing
• Understanding what your services really cost
• Setting financial goals
• Setting up your booking system
• Creating your policies
• Planning your working hours
• Improving your client journey
• Building confidence as a self-employed hairdresser

You remain in control of your own prices, clients, diary, services and business decisions.

The support is there when you need it.

our stylist page becomes your hub

At Rebel Rebel, you can use your own booking system.

We can help you set it up and connect it directly to your personal stylist page on the Rebel Rebel website along with your social media, contact details, pricelist, bio and anything else you want your clients to know.

This means clients can discover you through the salon website and then book directly with your own business.

You can benefit from being part of the salon while still building your own name, client base and independent hairdressing business.

What is included at Rebel Rebel?

Our regular chair rental packages include the professional salon facilities you need to work independently.

This includes:

• A professional salon workspace
• Backwash facilities
• Electricity and water
• Heating and air-conditioning
• Wi-Fi
• Towels and laundry
• Cleaning
• Waste disposal
• Client refreshments
• Storage
• Access to the YUV Colour Lab
• A personal stylist page on the Rebel Rebel website
• A direct link to your own booking system
• Help setting up your booking system
• Business support and coaching from Sarah
• Four rent-free weeks each year

You can also choose to use the salon styling products for £2.50 per working day.

You know exactly what you are paying before the week begins, and that price does not increase because your diary is full.

Keeping more of what you earn

Being self-employed means the amount left after your salon costs and tax also needs to support the rest of your life.

There is no paid holiday or sick pay, and you will need to plan for things such as time away from work, quieter periods, pension savings, maternity leave and unexpected expenses.

That is why we think it is so important to understand what will genuinely be left after your salon costs and other business expenses.

We have chosen fixed chair rental because we want independent hairdressers to know exactly what they are paying.

We want everyone to be treated equally.

We want to provide support without controlling how someone runs their business.

Most importantly, we want the hairdressers working at Rebel Rebel to benefit financially when their businesses become busier and more successful.

At Rebel Rebel, your chair rental stays clear and predictable.

Your business remains your own.

And your success remains yours.

Interested in working at Rebel Rebel?

The figures in this article are illustrative and are based on the assumptions set out in the examples. The estimated take-home figures use the 2026/27 Income Tax and self-employed National Insurance rates for England. Actual earnings, allowable expenses and tax will vary depending on each stylist’s individual circumstances.

For fairness, both salon businesses used in this comparison are treated as not VAT registered. Rebel Rebel Hair Studio is not VAT registered at the time of writing, so VAT is not added to our chair rental, Green Fee or optional styling-product charge. Some commission-based salons may be VAT registered, which could increase the amount charged. This article is for general information and is not personal financial or tax advice.