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Salons

Can I Afford to Hire? Calculator

What another stylist or assistant really costs, how busy they need to be to pay their way, and the cash you need while their book fills.

  • Their full cost a week and a year, with Saturday and Sunday penalty rates, super, leave loading, workers comp, long service leave, annual leave, your state's public holidays and personal leave counted
  • The client hours and weekly takings they need before they cover their own cost, and what happens if that sits too close to a full book
  • The week they start paying their way, the week you get your money back, and how much to have in the bank before they start
Get it for $59All tools

Secure checkout by StripeYour access link by email, usually in a minuteBuy once, no subscription

Built by a working salon owner, for salon owners

Buy onceNo subscriptionAustralian rates built inAbout 10 minutes

A made-up examplePays for itself byWeek 68

See how it gets there

Pop your email in and the full sample opens: the real tool on the same made-up numbers, plus a rough Try it you can play with.

Your email opens the sample. I never sell your address or give it to anyone for their own marketing.

How it works

Your numbers in. A decision out.

  1. Buy it

    Pay once by card. The tool opens straight away on the device you paid on, and a link for your other devices lands in your inbox.

  2. Type in your numbers

    It opens with sample numbers so you can see how it works. Type over them with yours.

  3. Read the answer

    Green, amber or red against targets you can change, with what to do about it in plain English.

  4. Run it again

    Rent goes up, the award rates move on 1 July, you hire. Open it and re-run, as often as you like.

Have these handy

What you'll need

  • The pay rate and hours you have in mind
  • What they'll bring in a week, or what a client spends and how many clients a week
  • A straight guess at how many weeks it takes them to fill their book
  • Any hiring costs: ads, kit, training

Good guesses are fine for a first run. You can tighten them later and the answer updates as you type.

Built for here

Australian rules, already in

  • GST at 10% worked in for you, with the $75,000 registration line
  • This year's award rates, super, income tax and the Medicare levy, wherever the tool needs them
  • Annual leave and leave loading, personal leave, public holidays by state and weekend penalty rates counted in any wage it works out
  • Card fees counted on what clients pay

When a rate changes, we update it once and every buyer gets it. See the rates we use.

Pay once, no subscription

$59, once.

No subscription. No course to sit through. Your numbers stay in your own browser and are never sent to us.

Get it for $59Questions first

Secure checkout by StripeYour access link by email, usually in a minuteBuy once, no subscription

Does it work on my phone?
Yes. It runs in your browser on a phone, tablet or laptop, with nothing to install. Your numbers are saved on that device, so they're there next time you open it.
Do I have to keep paying?
No. You pay once. No subscription, no renewal, and when Australian rates change we update the tool for you. Your tools keep working for as long as we run them online. If we ever close the site or retire a tool, we'll email you at least 60 days first, and within 24 months of your purchase you get a refund for the unused months (or, if we retire just that tool, another of the same price or more if you'd rather). See the terms. The device you buy on stays signed in for six months; after that, enter your email on My tools and a fresh link arrives in seconds. You never buy a tool twice.
What if I don't know a figure?
It opens with sample numbers, so type over the ones you know and leave the rest for now. A good guess is fine for a first run. The answer updates as you type, so tighten the guesses whenever you find the real figures.
Better together

Salon Kit

Every tool a salon owner needs to run the place on the numbers: pricing, your team, hiring, rent a chair, tax, your P&L and public holidays.

Menu Pricing + Price Rise + Team Scorecard + Afford to Hire + Chair Rental vs Employ + GST and Tax Set-Aside + P&L Checker + Public Holiday Pay + Colour Cost.

$399AUD
Bought one at a time: $571.
Get the kit for $399