Studios and property
Bookkeeping for salons and spas
Services, retail, tips, booth rent and commission splits, all in one daily deposit. We sort it out every month.
Updated October 4, 2026
In short
Salons, barbershops and spas take payments through Square, Vagaro, Boulevard or GlossGenius, with tips, retail and services mixed into every deposit. Some stylists are employees on commission, others rent a booth. We split deposits apart, handle tips correctly, track sales tax on retail, and record booth rent and commissions. Most fit Moderate.
How the money moves
How money comes in and goes out
Each day's deposit mixes services, product sales, gift cards and tips, net of processing fees. Booth renters pay weekly rent; commission stylists earn a share of their services and sometimes retail.
Retail product is usually taxable in Florida. Tips belong to the staff, so they need to pass through the books without being counted as your revenue.
Common problems
Where the books usually go wrong
Tips counted as revenue
Card tips that go into the deposit and out through payroll shouldn't inflate the salon's income.
Gift cards
A gift card sold is a service you still owe. It's revenue only when it's used.
Retail sales tax
Product sales need tax collected and tracked separately from service income.
Every month
What we do every month
- Split booking-software deposits into services, retail, gift cards and tips
- Track Florida sales tax collected on retail
- Record commission pay and booth rent received
- Track product inventory purchases and cost
- Reconcile processor payouts and fees
A month of books, for example
A six-chair salon has three commission stylists and three booth renters, and takes about $27,000 a month through Vagaro. We'd split that into services, $2,400 of retail, $3,100 of tips and $450 of gift cards, record $1,800 of weekly booth rent received, and have the retail sales tax ready for the return.
Illustrative example, not a client story.
Getting started
What we need from you
- Access to your booking software's sales and payout reports
- Commission and booth rent agreements
- Access to your bookkeeping software and accounts
Software and statements we work from
- Vagaro
- Square
- Boulevard
- GlossGenius
- Fresha
- Gusto
- QuickBooks Online
Price
What it costs
Most salons and spas fit Moderate, $400 to $600 a month. A single-chair suite owner may fit Simple; multi-location spas usually sit in Complex.
One flat monthly price, set after the free review. See the pricing guide or estimate your tier.
Questions
Common questions
Our stylists rent booths. How is that handled?
Booth rent you receive is income, recorded separately from services. Booth renters run their own businesses and books.
How should tips be recorded?
Tips paid by card come in with the deposit and go out through payroll or to the stylist. We make sure they never count as salon revenue.
Can you file our sales tax return?
We keep retail sales tax ready every month. Filing can be added; ask in the review.
I rent a suite on my own. Is that too small?
Not at all. Suite owners usually fit our Simple tier.
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