Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Booth rent net income/month
$4,414
Commission net income/month
$2,340
Booth advantage (or disadvantage)
$2,074
Monthly rent cost
$866
Revenue where booth beats commission
$1,933
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How to use this
- 1Enter monthly service revenue ($).
- 2Enter commission rate (employee) (%).
- 3Enter salon-covered product cost (%).
- 4Enter weekly booth rent ($).
- 5Enter renter's own product cost (%).
- 6Enter renter's other monthly costs (insurance, supplies) ($).
- 7Read your booth rent net income/month on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Stylists switching from commission to booth rent (chair rental) often underestimate the revenue needed to break even once they're covering their own product, supplies, and downtime. This calculator takes your monthly service revenue, the commission split a salon would offer, and the weekly booth rent an independent arrangement would cost, then compares net take-home under both models. It backs out product cost as a percentage of revenue since booth renters typically buy their own color and backbar, while commission stylists usually have that covered by the salon. The output shows the revenue crossover point — the monthly revenue level where booth rent starts winning — so you can judge which model fits your current client base and growth trajectory before you commit to a lease or contract change.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Monthly service revenue: 6000 $
- Commission rate (employee): 45 %
- Salon-covered product cost: 6 %
- Weekly booth rent: 200 $
- Renter's own product cost: 10 %
- Renter's other monthly costs (insurance, supplies): 120 $
Results
- Booth rent net income/month: $4,414
- Commission net income/month: $2,340
- Booth advantage (or disadvantage): $2,074
- Monthly rent cost: $866
- Revenue where booth beats commission: $1,933
What each field means
Inputs
- Monthly service revenue ($)
- The monthly service revenue used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 6000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Commission rate (employee) (%)
- The commission rate (employee) used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 45 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
- Salon-covered product cost (%)
- The salon-covered product cost used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 6 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–30 %.
- Weekly booth rent ($)
- The weekly booth rent used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 200 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Renter's own product cost (%)
- The renter's own product cost used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 10 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–30 %.
- Renter's other monthly costs (insurance, supplies) ($)
- The renter's other monthly costs (insurance, supplies) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 120 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Booth rent net income/month
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Commission net income/month
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Booth advantage (or disadvantage)
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Monthly rent cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Revenue where booth beats commission
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
At what revenue does booth rent usually win?
Most stylists cross over somewhere between $4,500 and $7,000 in monthly service revenue, depending on rent and product costs. Below that, commission's lower fixed risk usually wins; above it, booth rent's 100% revenue capture pulls ahead fast since your only costs are rent, product, and self-employment tax.
Does booth rent include product and supplies?
No. Under a true booth rental agreement you are an independent contractor buying your own color, foils, towels, and backbar retail. Salons offering commission typically supply backbar product and sometimes color, which is why the employee product percentage in this calculator is usually lower than the renter's.
What about taxes and benefits?
This calculator shows pre-tax net income only. Booth renters pay self-employment tax (15.3% on net earnings) and get no employer-side benefits, so subtract roughly 12-15% more from booth net for an apples-to-apples comparison against a W-2 commission job with benefits.
Is booth rent riskier in slow months?
Yes. Rent is due whether you book five clients or fifty, while commission pay scales down automatically with slow weeks. New stylists or those with unpredictable schedules often prefer commission's lower downside even at a lower ceiling.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Stylist Hourly Productivity Calculator
Turn your schedule and service mix into a true revenue-per-hour number.
Chair Utilization Calculator
See what percent of available chair-hours are actually generating revenue.
Employee vs Independent Contractor Cost Calculator
Compare the true cost of a W-2 stylist versus a 1099 booth renter.
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Booth Rent vs Commission Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/booth-rent-vs-commission
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/booth-rent-vs-commission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Booth Rent vs Commission Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Booth Rent vs Commission Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/booth-rent-vs-commission) (2026).