{
  "slug": "tattoo-shop-chair-rate",
  "title": "Tattoo Shop Chair Rate Calculator",
  "heading": "Tattoo Shop Chair Rate & Split Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/tattoo-shop-chair-rate",
  "summary": "Compare shop percentage splits against flat chair rent for tattoo artists.",
  "description": "Tattoo shops typically run either a percentage split (commonly 50/50 or 60/40 favoring the artist) or a flat weekly/monthly chair rent, and which one nets more depends heavily on how much an artist actually books. This calculator compares both models using your average monthly tattoo revenue, giving net take-home under a percentage split versus a flat rent arrangement, plus the crossover revenue level where rent starts winning. It also factors in that artists on flat rent buy their own ink, needles, and supplies, while percentage-split artists often have those covered by the shop, which materially changes the real comparison beyond just the split number.",
  "formula": "Split net = revenue × artist% − shop-covered supply offset. Flat rent net = revenue − monthly rent − artist's own supply cost.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=tattoo-shop-chair-rate",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "monthlyRevenue",
      "label": "Monthly tattoo revenue",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "splitPct",
      "label": "Artist's split percentage",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 60,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "splitSupplyPct",
      "label": "Artist's supply cost under split (shop covers most)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 20
    },
    {
      "id": "monthlyRent",
      "label": "Flat monthly chair rent",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1200,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "rentSupplyPct",
      "label": "Artist's supply cost under flat rent",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 25
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "rentNet",
      "label": "Net income under flat rent",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "splitNet",
      "label": "Net income under percentage split",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "difference",
      "label": "Flat rent advantage (or disadvantage)",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "crossover",
      "label": "Revenue where flat rent beats split",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Monthly tattoo revenue: 8000 $",
      "Artist's split percentage: 60 %",
      "Artist's supply cost under split (shop covers most): 3 %",
      "Flat monthly chair rent: 1200 $",
      "Artist's supply cost under flat rent: 8 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Net income under flat rent: $6,160",
      "Net income under percentage split: $4,560",
      "Flat rent advantage (or disadvantage): $1,600",
      "Revenue where flat rent beats split: $3,429"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter monthly tattoo revenue ($).",
      "Enter artist's split percentage (%).",
      "Enter artist's supply cost under split (shop covers most) (%).",
      "Enter flat monthly chair rent ($).",
      "Enter artist's supply cost under flat rent (%).",
      "Read your net income under flat rent on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "monthlyRevenue": 4800,
        "splitPct": 35,
        "splitSupplyPct": 2,
        "monthlyRent": 700,
        "rentSupplyPct": 5
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "monthlyRevenue": 8000,
        "splitPct": 60,
        "splitSupplyPct": 3,
        "monthlyRent": 1200,
        "rentSupplyPct": 8
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "monthlyRevenue": 12800,
        "splitPct": 95,
        "splitSupplyPct": 5,
        "monthlyRent": 1900,
        "rentSupplyPct": 13
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "What's a typical tattoo shop split?",
      "a": "50/50 is the most common baseline for newer or less established artists, with 60/40 or 70/30 favoring the artist as they build a following and bring in their own clients. Guest artists and highly sought-after tattooers can negotiate splits as high as 70-80% in their favor."
    },
    {
      "q": "At what revenue does flat rent typically win?",
      "a": "Using typical splits and rent levels, most artists cross over somewhere between $2,500 and $4,000 in monthly revenue — below that, percentage split's lower fixed risk wins; above it, flat rent's 100% marginal revenue capture pulls ahead since the artist keeps everything past the fixed rent cost."
    },
    {
      "q": "Do walk-ins change which model is better?",
      "a": "Shops with heavy walk-in traffic often keep artists on percentage split because the shop is doing real marketing and foot-traffic work to generate those clients, which justifies taking a cut. Artists with their own strong following and social media presence benefit more from flat rent since they're not relying on the shop for clients."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/booth-rent-vs-commission",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/barbershop-chair-rent-breakeven",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/salon-employee-vs-independent-contractor-cost"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Tattoo Shop Chair Rate Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/tattoo-shop-chair-rate)"
}