Beauty business
Tattoo price.
Enter your hourly rate and the hours you expect. The tool adds setup and supplies, applies your shop minimum, splits the work into sessions and works out the deposit and the shop split.
Price = the larger of your shop minimum and (hourly rate x hours + setup fee + supplies per session x sessions). 5 hours at $150 with $30 setup and $20 supplies across 2 sessions is $820.
Your numbers
Result
Worked example
A 5-hour piece at $150 an hour is $750 of time. Add a $30 setup fee and $20 of supplies for each session. With a 3-hour limit that is 2 sessions, so supplies are $40. The total is $820, or $410 a session. A 20% deposit is $164 with $656 due. If the shop takes 40%, the artist keeps $492 and the shop $328. A quick 30-minute tattoo that calculates to $125 would be raised to a $150 shop minimum if you set that minimum.
How it works
Price = max(minimum, rate x hours + setup + supplies x sessions). Sessions = hours / longest session, rounded up. Many artists quote by the hour for large work and by a flat price for small flash; this tool covers the hourly case and the minimum.
There is no standard tattoo price. Rates vary with the artist, city, size, detail and placement, so the rate, hours and fees are all yours to enter. Estimate hours generously for detail work and healing touch-ups.
This calculator prices work only. It does not cover licensing, health and safety, aftercare or age rules, which are set by your local health authority and licensing body. Nothing here is medical or legal advice.
Sources and basis (checked 2026-10-05): Arithmetic on your inputs. Rates, minimums and shop splits are user-entered; no market price is applied.
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent or stored.
The inputs, and what each one does to the price
- Hourly rate is what you charge for time in the chair. It should cover your pay, your share of rent, insurance, software and equipment, and the unbilled time you spend on drawing, consultations and cleanup.
- Estimated hours of tattooing is the stencil-on-skin time. Larger pieces are estimated in hours; the tool accepts up to 200.
- Setup, stencil or design fee is charged once per piece.
- Supplies per session (needles, ink, barrier covers, wraps) is charged once for every session, because each visit uses a new set.
- Longest session sets how many sessions the piece needs: sessions = hours ÷ longest session, rounded up.
- Shop minimum is the floor for any piece. If the calculated price is lower, the minimum is applied.
- Deposit and shop cut are shares of the final price. Set the shop cut to 0 if you own the shop or rent a chair.
Worked examples
| Piece | Working | Price | Deposit (20%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 hours, 2 sessions (default) | 5 × $150 + $30 + 2 × $20 | $820 | $164 |
| 6 hours, 2 sessions | 6 × $150 + $30 + 2 × $20 | $970 | $194 |
| 10 hours, 4 sessions | 10 × $150 + $30 + 4 × $20 | $1,610 | $322 |
| 30-minute flash, $100 minimum | 0.5 × $150 + $30 + $20 = $125 | $125 | $25 |
| 30-minute flash, $150 minimum | $125 is below the minimum | $150 | $30 |
For the default piece with a 40% shop cut, the shop keeps $328 and the artist keeps $492. With no shop cut at all the artist keeps the full $820. The 10-hour back piece shows why the longest session matters: at a 3-hour limit it needs 4 sessions, so supplies are charged four times; at a 5-hour limit it would need 2 sessions and $40 of supplies instead of $80, a $40 difference in the quote.
How to choose a rate and a minimum
There is no standard tattoo price, and this calculator does not apply one. Rates vary with the artist, the city, the size and detail of the work, and placement. A sound method is to start from costs: work out your cost per chair hour (rent, insurance, equipment, software), decide the pay you want per billable hour, and add them. The cost per chair hour calculator does the first step, and the chair utilization rate calculator shows how many of your hours are really billed. The minimum should cover the full cost of setting up, stencilling, doing the work and cleaning down for the smallest piece you will do, so it will normally be higher than the hourly rate for the time it takes.
Deposits and no-shows
A deposit protects the slot you held. The percentage is your policy: the calculator simply shows what the deposit and balance come to. Whether the deposit is credited against the final price, and whether it is kept if the client cancels late, is your policy, so state your terms in writing before you take any money. If no-shows are costing you real income, the booth rent break-even calculator and your own booking records will show how much an empty slot costs you.
Common mistakes
- Underestimating hours. Detailed work, shading and healing touch-ups run longer than expected. Estimate generously, and track actual hours to correct your estimates over time.
- Charging supplies once for a multi-session piece. Each session uses a new set of consumables.
- Forgetting design time. Custom drawing is real work. Use the setup or design fee to charge for it, or fold it into the hourly rate.
- Ignoring tax. The price is before income tax and before any sales tax. In Canada a business whose taxable revenue passes the $30,000 small-supplier threshold in a quarter or over four consecutive quarters generally must register for GST/HST (CRA RC4022).
- Treating the calculator as a licence checklist. It prices work only.
Regulation is separate from pricing
Tattooing is regulated as a personal service setting. In Toronto, a new studio must notify Toronto Public Health in writing at least 14 days before opening, and tattooing, which penetrates the skin, is in the critical risk category for inspection. Rules differ by jurisdiction, so check with your own health authority and licensing body. Nothing on this page is medical or legal advice. For piercing, which is usually priced per piece plus jewellery, a simple price list may serve better than an hourly model.
FAQ
How much should I charge for a tattoo?
Common practice is an hourly rate for time plus a minimum for small pieces. Choose a rate that covers your cost per chair hour and the pay you want; the cost per chair hour calculator can help.
How much deposit should I take?
It is your policy. Many artists take a fixed amount or a percentage so a no-show does not cost them the whole slot. The deposit field shows what a percentage comes to.
Why add supplies per session?
Needles, ink, wraps and barrier covers are used every session, so a piece that takes two sessions uses them twice.
Does this work for piercing?
You can use a low hourly rate and short hours, but piercing is usually priced per piece plus jewellery, so a simple price list may suit it better.
How is the number of sessions worked out?
Estimated hours divided by the longest session you will do, rounded up. Ten hours with a 3-hour limit is 4 sessions; with a 5-hour limit it is 2.
How does the shop minimum work?
The tool calculates rate × hours + setup + supplies × sessions and, if that is below your minimum, charges the minimum instead. A 30-minute piece that calculates to $125 becomes $150 with a $150 minimum.
How do I split the price with the shop?
Enter the shop cut as a percentage of the final price. At 40% on an $820 piece the shop share is $328 and the artist share is $492. Enter 0 if you own the shop or rent a chair.
Do I need to register or notify anyone before opening a tattoo studio?
Rules depend on where you work. In Toronto, you must notify Toronto Public Health in writing at least 14 days before opening, and tattooing is inspected as a personal service setting. Contact your local health authority for the requirements that apply to you.
Sources
Retrieved October 2026. Where a source blocks automated checks this is noted; figures that no source supports are labelled as your own inputs.
- Toronto Public Health: About BodySafe - tattooing is a personal service setting in the critical inspection category; 14 days written notice before opening
- City of Toronto: hair salon, nail shop, tattoo and waxing - notification before opening or changing services
- CRA RC4022: General Information for GST/HST Registrants - small supplier definition and $30,000 threshold; rates, hours, minimums and shop splits are your own inputs, no market price is applied